Beauty in Full Bloom Hidden Among Flowers

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Recently I was having a conversation with my friend about how most of the people we meet are not genuine, have open hearts, open minds and seem very plastic. We felt most people seem to have lost the ability to relate along with many other human qualities. But our conversation was not all bleak, as we both have met beautiful people from all walks of life. While we both do not have a lot of friends, the friends we do have are kind-hearted, genuine people who are open to life and all its possibilities.

A few days after, I decided to visit the local plant nursery to find plants and flowers to decorate my balcony with, as I love nature, flowers, birds, trees, etc. So, although my flat overlooks a beautiful garden/farm full of flowers, plants, trees, and animals, I wanted to add beauty to my home with plants of my own.

Plant Nursery in Pondicherry

I went to one of the local plant nurseries, of which there are many, and was greeted by the young girl who worked there named Soumya, who had finished her high school and was now working at S.R Nursery on ECR road, Pondicherry,

near Auroville. She was very polite and professional as she showed the plants she had. When I asked for the specific plants I was looking for, she replied she was sold out and it would take a few more days for new stock to arrive. I jokingly asked Soumya, how it was that the plants I wanted were all out of stock, to which she laughed and said, if she had them then she would give them. We talked more as I selected my plants, bargaining the entire time, which only made the interaction more jovial.

I tried my best to get her to give me the soil for free as she potted the selected plants, but she refused saying strictly that soil was very expensive and that I should refer to the pricing board, which clearly stated the prices of soil as per the size of the pots, which only made me laugh because she refused to budge and would not come down in price during negotiation.

As I finished up the purchase, I asked her to give me a few plants for free at least and give me a price for everything also, to which she replied,

“Do you want a good price or free plants?”

She was a tough negotiator, which I admired because she did it with a smile on her face and it felt like I was talking to a friend, rather than somebody who was just working in a store. So, I told her to give me a good deal on the plants, which she did. I complimented her on business and selling skills and told her I would definitely return for the plants she was sold out of. Soumya said she would make sure she had the plants and at the end as I was loading the plants into the car, she decided to give me free soil for two small plants and a few free plants also, which pleasantly surprised me.

I thanked her, wished her well and left the shop feeling happy for not only having bought beautiful plants for my mini garden, but having made a new friend, with whom I know I would be returning to often for not only buying plants but for light-hearted conversation also.

It’s moments such as these that remind me of how beautiful life can be if we open our hearts to the people we interact with on a daily basis. Amongst all the chaos and corruption in this country, you can still find beautiful people with big hearts, if you look hard enough.

So, just as I had mentioned to my friend, while most of the world may have lost their ability to relate, there are still roses amongst the thorns, that can be found, if we look for it. It could’ve been an uneventful day of just buying plants, but it was a blessed day for I met another beautiful human being amongst all the beautiful flowers in the nursery I happen to choose to buy my plants from.