Standing by the large wooden table I heard a sound that no plant lover wants to hear. Rumi, my Asian Council tree had dropped two leaves. One on occasion is normal for his age and size, but two at the same time sounds the alarm!

I knew he wouldn’t be happy long-term where he was sitting, but I’m running out of options for him to have a happy spot. He outgrew my writing room which had the best light for him, so I moved him to the front of the house by a window. The back of the house receives morning light and the front get hits with late afternoon sun, which is too hot for most plants. My only alternative was to place him in my room at the back of the house, but I wasn’t thrilled about sharing my space.

Over the weekend I was talking with a friend/mentor and we were joking about the perks of living solo, but then he shared that he wasn’t sure he wanted to share his space with another human. I haven’t shared my space with anyone in years, so his words resonated, but I’m not convinced it’s good to become content with being alone. There are seasons for it, but we’re designed for connection. God assures me that I won’t be alone forever, but I need to be open to the idea of sharing space.

After talking with my friend, I decided to experiment.

Rumi is tall and heavy, but thankfully he’s sitting on a plant caddy with wheels. I took my time rolling him across the house and eased him through the doorframe into my bedroom. I saw where he needed to sit to receive the morning light, but not get hit by the sun and it was right beside my bed!

Oh, I moved the bed, but that didn’t make it any better, so I moved it back and slid it over making it off center from the wall. I don’t enjoy anything off center, but sharing our space is full of compromise. Rumi is as cozy as can be sitting right beside my most sacred space.

At this writing it’s been 4 days since he moved in and it feels normal now. When God decides it’s time to place a partner in my life, maybe they’ll thank Rumi for helping me practice sharing my space.

“Today, I blossom in honesty and openness. Today, I allow the nutrition of honest communication to foster my relationships to greater health.” Julia Cameron-Transitions

PS. If you’ve read Move the Bed, you’ll know I’ve moved Rumi to my bedroom once before, but wasn’t willing to place him where he needed to be. Progress.