orchidaceae

Now that school is over and a large chunk of my week is taken up by work I treat the two days off that I get like a luxury. I can dress however I want (like wearing shorts, oh my!) and I don't have to waste almost two hours of my day underground on the T. So, on my first day off of the week I decided that I would treat myself to a new pair of shoes and a plant...yes, a plant.

I had been thinking about getting a plant for about a week and my heart was set on an orchid. My mom had grown a few when I was younger and I always found them fascinating, they're almost alien looking. So, I went to a little flower shop and picked one up. It's a pretty small orchid, in bloom, and has little yellow flowers with some pink in the center. I was thrilled, it was perfect! But when I got in line it was like something dawned on me. I suddenly felt like I was adopting a child, or getting a pet, like this was some huge responsibility. I would feel terrible if it ever died. I almost put the little thing back and considered leaving the store.

It was strange, i didn't think that my mind would suddenly have me reconsider buying a plant. I had been thinking about it for a while and then out of the blue I was about to put it down? "BUT NO", I thought, I had to keep it. This little plant was mine. Long story short, I bought it despite my urge to put it away. But I guess for the three minutes that I imagined its life in the palm of my hands, I almost couldn't fathom the responsibility that comes with taking care of a plant. Only a few things in life had ever hit me like that, but  those were big decisions, not wether I was going to buy a plant or not.

It was a what-the-fuck moment if I ever had one. Maybe somewhere in my subconscious I was afraid of having to take care something else. However, I think that's why I wanted a plant in the fist place. Since the beginning of June my routine was temporarily paused, if you will. Now, I'm not one to live solely within the constraints of a self-made "routine" but there are little things that I like. Par example, i typically do my laundry on sundays, I always brush my teeth before I take a shower, and during the school year I went to my boyfriends every thursday. So now, I've added my plant to my routine: water it every 5 days, fertilize it once a month, and keep it in the window during the day. Taking care of the plant. I guess thats just part of what I do now.