Sunday, October 9, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The simple joy of owning a houseplant
Having a blog is like buying a big fancy houseplant. You could be one of those people who, upon setting up their big fancy houseplant in the corner of the room, diligently waters it every thirty-six hours, checks the pH level of the soil once a month, gently trims sick leaves and nurtures healthy ones, croons to it at midnight, takes it for walks (or whatever you do with houseplants) and, after months of selfless care, ends up with a lovely, verdant companion. Or you could be like me, who buys a big fancy houseplant and, after an initial burst of botanic enthusiasm, completely neglects it, then watches guiltily as it transforms from a big fancy houseplant into a brown stick in a pot of dust.
But, houseplants can be saved. Even the most negligent houseplant owner can attest to the remarkable resilience possessed by their leafy wards, which can bounce back from the dead when their owner, struck with a plant-friendly combination of horticultural enthusiasm and guilt, actually waters the damn thing. That arduous task been taken care of, the owner will happily bask in his plant's chlorophyillic affection, and promise to never again be so neglectful.
Have I beaten you to death with that metaphor yet? I suppose not, because you're still reading (or you're a zombie, in which case, awesome). I knew at the back of my mind that it had been a long time between blog entries, and then all of the sudden I woke up and it was October. The moment of truth had arrived - if I didn't sit down and write today, then my poor little trusting blog was going to dry up and turn into a sickly mummified relic of an enthusiasm for New York that I'm not always entirely sure I still possess.
But don't worry: this entry is not going to be the bitter diatribe of a few weeks ago. If anything, this is the first tangible step I've taken in a couple of weeks towards getting back to my old go-get-'em self. It's the first step in reminding myself why I came over here in the first place, that I actually wanted to live here and there's a lot of great stuff going on. Over the past couple of months I've sunk into this gloomy pessimistic rut, making "this-is-too-hard" grumbles and "what's-the-point-of-all-this" whinges. And yeah, it has been a fucking hard couple of months, I don't think that I'm being a drama queen about it. I just know that there comes a point where you have to make a conscious decision to take the first step towards getting back on top of things. To start telling yourself how good things will be and affirming to yourself that you're good at what you do, to be kind to yourself and to take joy in the simple stuff that's at your fingertips if you just be in the present moment instead of wallowing in the past or fretting about the future. A good friend taught me that, and I'd forgotten it.
Anyway... this is not my finest blog entry, I'll admit that. Next one will be much more interesting, I promise. This entry is more for me to say sorry to my poor little blog for being so neglectful, and from now on he and I will go on together and enjoy our time in New York, for however long that time will be.
But, houseplants can be saved. Even the most negligent houseplant owner can attest to the remarkable resilience possessed by their leafy wards, which can bounce back from the dead when their owner, struck with a plant-friendly combination of horticultural enthusiasm and guilt, actually waters the damn thing. That arduous task been taken care of, the owner will happily bask in his plant's chlorophyillic affection, and promise to never again be so neglectful.
Have I beaten you to death with that metaphor yet? I suppose not, because you're still reading (or you're a zombie, in which case, awesome). I knew at the back of my mind that it had been a long time between blog entries, and then all of the sudden I woke up and it was October. The moment of truth had arrived - if I didn't sit down and write today, then my poor little trusting blog was going to dry up and turn into a sickly mummified relic of an enthusiasm for New York that I'm not always entirely sure I still possess.
But don't worry: this entry is not going to be the bitter diatribe of a few weeks ago. If anything, this is the first tangible step I've taken in a couple of weeks towards getting back to my old go-get-'em self. It's the first step in reminding myself why I came over here in the first place, that I actually wanted to live here and there's a lot of great stuff going on. Over the past couple of months I've sunk into this gloomy pessimistic rut, making "this-is-too-hard" grumbles and "what's-the-point-of-all-this" whinges. And yeah, it has been a fucking hard couple of months, I don't think that I'm being a drama queen about it. I just know that there comes a point where you have to make a conscious decision to take the first step towards getting back on top of things. To start telling yourself how good things will be and affirming to yourself that you're good at what you do, to be kind to yourself and to take joy in the simple stuff that's at your fingertips if you just be in the present moment instead of wallowing in the past or fretting about the future. A good friend taught me that, and I'd forgotten it.
Anyway... this is not my finest blog entry, I'll admit that. Next one will be much more interesting, I promise. This entry is more for me to say sorry to my poor little blog for being so neglectful, and from now on he and I will go on together and enjoy our time in New York, for however long that time will be.
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