Growing alongside your plant

MACIE GUTIERREZ

Ihave never been able to take care of a plant for longer than a couple of weeks. I have tried on multiple occasions and failed every time. I do not even like plant-sitting.

Every time I am asked to water a neighbor’s plants for a couple of days, I panic. I know something my neighbors do not know — if they leave their plants with me, they will die.

I wish I had a green thumb. I wish more than anything I could look at a plant and have it blossom before my eyes. The older I get, the closer I come to the realization: I am not meant for the plant mom lifestyle. I even have the skill it takes to kill a succulent.

While there are some defining qualities that make a person a good plant parent, plant owners do not necessarily have to be good at taking care of themselves to take care of another living thing.

Accomplished plant owners may have differing opinions about this. Some people have their entire lives figured out, including their relationships, social lives and mental health. On the other hand, there are some people that put all of their energy into their plants without leaving any for themselves.

Sometimes, having something to put energy into can be incredibly beneficial to a

Electric vehicles are reinventing the car industry

The car industry has changed in a big way over the past several decades. Companies across the world are promoting, advertising and conceptualizing never-before-seen designs. However, this is all changing with the demand for something new and more modern.

For example, BMW is an iconic German-based company that has made a fortune on a sleek design that hasn’t changed in a while. The same can be said for the now BMW-owned company, Mini. The company that is best known for its Cooper model and has had great success with a simplistic car design that was, for the most part, unchanged from its initial concept in the 1960s. In the past year, both have introduced slight changes to their designs as well as a completely new one for BMW.

Car companies are releasing prototypes, concept designs and plans to make designs that were long thought to have been impossible or looked like they were pulled straight from science fiction. What was once unattainable has now been achieved. One design that had car enthusiasts salivating was BMW’s IX Flow, which can change from an inky black to a cool, soft white with just a click of a button.

“The body is laminated with an electrophoretic film containing microcapsules the diameter of a human hair,” the BMW website reads

In basic terms, microcapsules are charged particles that can change from white and black when electricity is applied.

The design was a huge success when it was unveiled for the first time at the Las Vegas Consumer Electric Show (CES), an event that showcased tech in categories like automotive, artificial intelligence, audio engineering and cyber security.

BMW wasn’t the only car manufacturer to dazzle the attendees of CES with the immense advancement of its designs. Sony and Honda unveiled the Afeela electric car that brings together Sony’s technology and Honda’s vehicles. Not only did it introduce a car that utilizes Unreal Enginedesigned interfaces, but it introduced the first partnership for Sony and Honda. Unreal Engine is a 3D model software used by video game developers to manipulate visuals, sounds and physics. This unique partnership is the first of its kind since this software has never before been implemented in a vehicle. The Afeela uses technology from the Unreal Engine to detect objects 360 degrees around the car’s exterior and the driver’s condition while driving.

In the typical showroom of electric vehicles, trucks are usually missing. However, at this year’s CES, that was not the case. Ram was one of a few automotive companies that showcased an all electric-pickup truck with the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV, an all-electric pickup truck that provides a “Shadow Feature,” which follows the driver around if they are on foot.

These are just a few of the brand-new designs companies have brought about major changes in the car industry. However, these designs are strictly prototypes. It will most likely be a while until we see these vehicles on the road or available on the general market.

Despite this, the automotive industry has already gone through a slew of changes in new markets, which caused a major growth period in the industry. person’s growth and mental health. Plants can be an excellent outlet for this purpose. Even if the ability to take good care of yourself has a correlation to taking better care of a plant, having plants around can be incredibly beneficial.

A few years ago, critics laughed at the idea of people driving around in fully electric cars. It didn’t seem possible for prototypes that relied entirely on a charging station to have long ranges when it was first introduced. While it still is not perfect, it now is able to provide a lot of benefits. These benefits can range from being emission-free, providing the convenience of charging at home and costing less to operate than non-electric vehicles.

In 2022, 5.6% of sales in the automotive industry were for electric vehicles, and that percentage steadily climbs each year.

All-electric and hybrid models doubled in sales from 2020-21, with all-electric vehicle sales increasing 85% in the year. The demand keeps going up, and it has reached the point where some companies have a two-year waitlist for people to get their hands on an electric vehicle.

The popularity of these vehicles is not dwindling, but growing. It’s no wonder companies are rushing to find new, exciting designs.

Electric vehicles have reshaped the auto industry, and while they may not be for everyone — nor are they perfect as of now — the change they brought has led to a more creative industry. More companies are desperate to compete, leading to a variety of designs, some that work and some that don’t.

The progress designers and engineers have made is opening doors to futuristic designs.

Ford is another company trying to find a way to capitalize on the popularity of electric vehicles by moving some of its designs into a more ultra-modern and ultraluxury look.

Last year, Ford hired a new chief design officer, Anthony Lo. The new addition is a former exterior designer at the French company Renault. Lo’s first concept as chief design officer came in the form of the Lincoln Model L100, a vehicle that looks futuristic with a sleek design. This is entirely new territory for Ford, which has a reputation for an array of pickup trucks.

The car industry is certainly moving into a new style, and almost all of its major growth can be attributed to electric vehicles. Popularity for these cars keeps on growing, and it forces the industry to grow and adapt. The design for vehicles has to grow if companies want to keep people interested.

Most of the people buying these cars are young people Many don’t want to be driving the same cars they sat in the backseats of as kids; they want something that resembles a part of themselves and a part of the time they are living in.

Station wagons became popular when the idea of the American dream was popular, and now, moving into a cleaner, more modern future is the trending concept. Our cars should reflect that. Car trends are a lot like fashion trends: the popularity of certain designs comes and goes, but some things always remain popular. For a while, all-electric designs were foreign to us, but they have since grown to become the norm for the landscape of cars. The popularity of these cars keeps growing and will probably continue until something new and revolutionary comes along to shake things up again.

Taking care of plants can help reduce stress and anxiety while increasing productivity. Watching something flourish and grow can inspire you to look inward and do the same for yourself.

I often like to say I am just a more complicated version of a plant. Give me some fresh air and sunlight, and I am good to go. Like plants, humans need sunlight to thrive and blossom.

There are numerous benefits of exposure to sunlight such as improvements in sleep, mood and energy. The most noticeable benefit of spending time in the sun is the proven boost in serotonin — the chemical in the brain that controls mood. The more serotonin, the happier you feel; the less serotonin, the more anxious and tired you feel. When individuals spend time in the sun, their body receives a signal to release serotonin, making them feel cheerful and more productive.

When it is time to wind down for the night, there is melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone your brain releases when it is dark or cloudy outside. Melatonin helps the body sleep and feel ready to wind down. Many people take melatonin supplements to help them sleep at night. Melatonin is great, except when your body releases too much of it; such as when you are surviving through a week-long snowstorm and have not seen the sun in days. People feel their best when they have a balance of both chemicals. I can tell these chemicals are working when I spend the majority of my day outside either hiking, walking or when I wind down as the sun is going down.

Just like plants need a little extra love and attention sometimes, so do people.

Seasonal depression occurs in individuals during times of the year when there is overall less sunlight. The symptoms of seasonal depression include sadness, fatigue and social removal. The medical terminology for seasonal depression is Seasonal Affective Disorder — or SAD — which causes sadness and melancholy feelings, usually in the fall and winter. For some, seasonal depression can be treated properly with light therapy Light therapy can treat SAD by replicating the effects sunlight has on the body. Light triggers the body’s response to produce serotonin.

Like plants, without sunlight, we are unable to stay happy and stay healthy. If you and your plants are having a rough day, it could be because you both need to spend some time outside.

If humans and plants are similar in some ways, it seems as though it should be easier for me to take care of them.

I know I am good at taking care of myself. I have a loose routine I follow that keeps me active, and I make sure to spend time outside every day to get my dosage of sunlight. So, I can’t understand why I can take care of myself, but not a plant. It could be because people like me are too focused on keeping themselves in check to spare focus on something else, and that is not a bad thing.

Making personal growth your number one priority is essential. If you feel like you barely have enough time to take care of yourself, I suggest waiting to adopt a plant until you have time for both of you. That may seem obvious, but for some, it is hard to acknowledge they need work, love and attention, just like a plant does.

People who are able to prioritize and acknowledge that they can put themselves first are better able to support their own mental health and growth. If someone only has time for themselves and not a long-lasting relationship with a plant, that is fine. People shouldn’t feel shame from plant owners for not having a green thumb.

Wanting to have plants around is understandable, but some plants are harder to take care of than others. Some of the best plants to start off with are cactus, monstera and ponytail palm. Each of these plants are low maintenance and still offer the benefits of having greenery around.

Being around plants can work as a simple reminder that plants and people are not so unlike. Plants show that self care can be as simple as spending time in the sun and allowing yourself time to grow.

So, a person’s ability to take care of a plant is not a direct reflection of their ability to take care of themselves.

Some people can take care of themselves and their plants, and others choose to take care of themselves and admire the plants of others from a safe distance. Both of these options come with no shame. As long as you give yourself the tools you need to grow, you shouldn’t worry about growing something else, unless you want to.