TURNS OUT, CACTI ARE PRETTY SMART

Today we visited the beautiful cactus garden on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. The garden features over 5,000 species of cacti, including this interesting Saguaro cactus. I’ve seen these cacti many times before, but today I learned something new: A Saguaro cactus only grows arms when it’s leaning over—and then it grows the arm only on the opposite side from the side it’s leaning towards so that it can regain its balance.

Wow. If only I, like that cactus, focused less on growing arms that cushion me from a crash when I’m falling over, and focused more on growing arms that can help pull me up before I fall in the first place!

I could grow the kinds of arms that help me hold on when things get tough. The kind of arms that reach out to friends and loved ones for help when I need it. And the kind of arms that reach further still…all the way to a power I can’t see, but which I feel holding me up and providing balance in life's most unbalanced hours.

Today, I appreciate the lesson learned from a Smart Saguaro.