« Getting Right with Your Actual Life | Main | Two Things Making Me Grin Today »
Tuesday
Jun082010

Precious Things

I love it when the physical things in my home and living spaces have good stories attached to them. I'm sure you're the same way -- a plate is more than a plate when it was given as a gift for a special occasion, and a trinket bought with someone you love is more than just ceramic and paint.

All of my houseplants have these kinds of stories. One's a corn plant rescued from a trash heap on my Brooklyn street six years ago. Another is a peace lily bought by Chris nine years ago, before we were together. (I almost accidentally killed that guy off in an unfortunate repotting incident...luckily it came back, and I even grew two new plants from it, so I'm allowed to stay.)

This is one of my favorite story-plants:



Remember in elementary school when the teachers gave you a seed to plant in a cup and watch it grow? Well, decades later, my friend, Cheryl, still has that plant. (It's now named Zak. When you live that long as a plant, you earn a proper name.)

When Cheryl and I were roommates, I took a sprout from ole Zack and have been growing descendants ever since. (I name them Sara, after the Ben Folds song.) I like to give out new sprouts as housewarming gifts to my friends, spreading the Zak and Sara love far and wide. I also like the Fievel effect I get when my eyes glance on one of the Saras around my house and I think of Cheryl, miles away but underneath the same big sky (somewhere out there...).

Reader Comments (1)

I love this photo and I love you!!!
love Alice

June 13, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterAlice T Mc Carney

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
All HTML will be escaped. Hyperlinks will be created for URLs automatically.