The Lesson of the Lucky Bamboo

Ever noticed how the lucky bamboo is the perfect analogy for a happy family?  The roots holding each other together even as the individual shoots grow a little apart giving themselves and each other the space to grow. 

The lucky bamboo came to our house as a gift. It was diwali and my sister in law had thoughtfully brought it for us along with the usual sweets. It came as a bunch of shoots in a small glass bowl. A piece of wire and red tape held them together. With a little nurturing – change of water every now and then and a little bit of sunshine – it grew lovely, green leaves that were smooth to touch and a delight to the eyes. Soon, it had outgrown the small bowl it came in and we had to cut away the wire and tape to move it to a bigger home. This time we no longer needed the wire or tape to hold it together. By now, the roots of the individual shoots were so tightly enmeshed that the shoots and leaves could now stand independently, while the roots kept them connected.

Isn’t that how families should be? People might think you need a lot of care to keep a family together but I think the reverse is true. You need just the right amount of nurturing – not too much and not too little – to keep a family together. Nurture too much and you deny individual growth, nurture too little and you stunt development forever. But nurture it right, and the roots – the bonds that develop as a family grows – will keep the family connected forever.