wning a plant comes with deep responsibility. Plants need sunlight and water but they also require something much more demanding — selflessness.
People say that pets such as dogs take a lot of responsibility, and that’s true. However, dogs give back in kindness and affection.If you show them love and affection they will return it two-fold. This makes walking them, feeding them and cleaning up after them much easier.
To go a step further would be something like a lizard. You still have the same responsibility of feeding and caring for the lizard, but they don’t give you the same amount of love as dogs.
Lizards, still, are alive and react to what you do. They will crawl on your arms and sleep on your chest.
It’s hard to neglect something that is as markedly living as a lizard.
Plants, however, are a much different story.
They do not lick your hand or wag their tail. Plants don’t crawl on you or sleep on your chest. They sit on your windowsill and exist. Yet, they are just as dependent on you for life as a dog or lizard might be
This makes them naturally harder to care for than other pets. You must selflessly devote time and effort each day to make sure they get just enough sunlight.
Griffen Winget | Argonaut
You can’t leave out a water dish for them. You need to water them a precise amount each week.
Not all plants are created equal either. Why do you think succulents are becoming more popular than ever?
They don’t take much care, they’re hardy and look prettier than a cactus.
Plants demand consistent thought and care while giving nothing tangible in return.
What they give back, however, is beauty. For some people that is enough.
Watching a plant grow and bloom is reward enough for many plant owners. They bring a source of life and vibrancy to the home that is different from any other “pet.”
The lack of barking, shedding and waste is a huge plus in the plants column.
Much like us, they feed off others to survive. We spread our roots throughout the lives of the people we meet.
Plants take nutrients from the earth around them and we take nutrients in the form of friendships and relationships.
Maybe the reason why we care for plants with so little in return is because we see a part of ourselves in them.
We know what it feels like to be sometimes helpless and reliant on others to get through life.
Does that mean that succulent owners are calloused sociopaths that require little human interaction to survive? No, probably not, they’re just lazy like the rest of us.
Griffen Winget can be reached at [email protected]