The Cactus in The Compost. Determination, Perseverance, Hope

It was early in the spring that I pruned my cacti.  They are the off-spring of my forty year old cactus that died last year. I’m trying to keep them at a manageable size, hoping they’ll grow thicker instead of long and leggy.

I put the cactus clipping in the compost bin.

Since then we’ve emptied the contents from our  composting toilet into the composter twice and have added buckets of food scraps.  Our composter is one of those brown plastic ones, with slats for aerating and a solid cover.

As much as I don’t really need another succulent, I was delighted to see the long green cactus shooting through the thick layers of food scraps and coco coir when I opened the lid of the composter.

I tugged at it gently.  Beneath the compost, the cactus was just as thick, only white with hair fine roots.

I know the cactus got very little sunlight and a lot of heat.

So I put it in a small pot in the shade on the front porch in the company of other succulents.  I imagine it’s already in shock just from being uprooted, and imagine it will need some time to get used to full sunlight.

To me, the cactus is a symbol of determination, perseverance and hope.

And it took it personally, this message from the little cactus that grew in the compost bin.

But it’s not just for me, it’s for all of you who are reading this too.  Because a message like this does’t get used up but grows the more it is shared.