If you garden them and water them

As a kid I was utterly useless when it came to houseplants. I once killed a cactus in less than a week. (Because I decided that this time I wouldn't forget to water my plant ...It drowned).

15 months ago I found a tiny Saintpaulia. It looked so lovely I decided to give plants another shot. And, worst case scenario; I would at least have some fun while it lasted.

I still have it, it is thriving and occasionally blooming.

My grandma loved houseplants. Her window sill would always be full of them. She and Mum would regularly go on shopping sprees dedicated for plants. And even though she liked lots of colors and would go into the shop with an open mind to what she'd get, she always came out with a pink one.

I have discovered a sort of ceremonial behavior within myself. When someone dies I want to do something that to me hold a strong connection to my image of that person. When my grandfather died I surprised my boyfriend by asking for a cup of coffee, which I usually didn't care for (now I kinda do, it's been two years), and when my grandma died I told my mother I would go out and buy a pink houseplant.

I didn't buy one; I inherited one of my grandma's (a Kalanchoe). And I still have it; It's growing at the speed of Alice and blooming merrily.

Watering my plants now, knowing it's been over a year, I can't help giving it some extra thought. I inherited two more plants of my grandma's and I've bought myself some more. They seem to be thriving, which makes me happy.

I guess as you grow older these things happen. You loose things. And you learn to take care of things.