Self-watering plants?

Ever reach the point where your simplest wish was that the plants would water themselves? I keep coming and going from meetings and realizing with each entrance and exit that I need to water the plants, yet somehow this task keeps escaping me. And now it is time to close for the day and still the plants are gasping for a drink of that life giving balm.

Of course, I could be doing that instead of typing this, and I probably should, but it just got me to thinking. How many aspects of our life do we have that just slip through our fingers? Its not that we don't see them. It certainly is not that we don't know these small things need to occur. The plants NEED watering. The friend needs to be called. The letter to our ailing Aunt needs to written and, yes, mailed. Yet somehow these niceties slip by and before we know it, they just don't happen. There we are at the curb emptying the dried out pot and planting anew.

But we can't always plant everything fresh, can we? We can't take back certain aspects of daily neglect. As much as we would like to believe that these small trespasses are easily forgiven, they do build. I guess they are sort of like plaque. In small amounts it doesn't really hurt anyone. But let it layer itself up and it can grind your heart to a standstill. Then its major surgery - or bust. So why is it that we can't just stop at the doorway we when we think about watering the plant - and go do it? Why do we keep wandering back and forth through the door and mentally note what we should get to - and then never quite manage to see it through. (Brief break here).

Sorry about that, but I just had to water the plants. I was feeling way, way too guilty writing about it and not doing it. And I guess that is sort of the point. What does it take to put us in motion? How far do things have to go for people to get a clue? Does the ailing Aunt have to actually fall on her deathbed to suddenly deserve the call, the card or the visit? Does your friend have to show up on your doorstep and demand attention? Or would simply un-friending you on FaceBook be a call to action?

We are so caught up in the daily demands, our little world of minutia, that we seem to have lost touch with the parts that really matter. We have lost touch with the components that we are responsible for nuturing. Our relationships, family, friends, etc. - these depend on our participation, our interest and willingness to nuture and value. So why are we so good at taking them for granted? Why is so easy to assume they will simply be there when we need them? And when will we learn to pay attention to when they need us?

Just thinking out loud -

Guess I should go feed the cats now too.............