Nurture a Plant
At first glance， this may seem like a strange or superficial suggestion. What good could it possibly do to nurture a plant？
One of the goals of spiritual life and one of the requirements of inner peace is to learn to love unconditionally. The problem is it’s really hard to love a person， any person， unconditionally. The person we are trying to love inevitably says or does the wrong thing， or fails to meet our expectations in some way. So， we get upset and put conditions on our love， “I’ll love you， but you have to change. You must act the way I want you to act.”
Some people are better at loving their pets than the people in their lives. But to love a pet unconditionally is hard too. What happens when your dog wakes you up with unnecessary barking in the middle of the night or ruins your favorite carpet with an accident？ Do you love him just as much？ My children have a bunny. It was really hard to love that bunny when he chewed a hole in my beautifully crafted wooden gate！
A plant， however， is easy to love just the way it is. Therefore， nurturing a plant offers us an excellent opportunity to practice unconditional love.
Why does virtually every spiritual tradition advocate unconditional love？ Because love has such transformational power. Unconditional love brings forth peaceful feelings in both the giver and the receiver.
Select a plant， indoor or outdoor， that you will see every day. Practice taking care of and loving that plant as if it were your baby (it’s easier to care for your plant than your baby —no sleepless nights， no diapers， no crying). Talk to your plant； tell it how much you love it. Love your plant whether it blooms or not， whether it lives or dies. Just love it. Notice how you feel as you offer this plant your unconditional love. When you offer this type of love you’re never agitated， irritated， or hurried. You’re simply in a loving space. Practice this type of love each time you see your plant， at least once a day.