This is a plant. It is a living thing meaning that is very
different from a stapler or hat rack. It needs watering. If it doesn’t get enough water, it will
likely wither and start to droop. This will make you feel guilty especially
when you come home from vacation in Maine where you were lounging about for 10
days and realize that you didn’t water it or ask your neighbors to water it,
which is a really easy thing to do if you are open to having a conversation
with your neighbors*. Very often if you
water it, it can be revived. This is an
amazing process to witness so pay attention.
Within several hours, the withering leaves which you might mistake for
complete plant death will begin to perk
up and the plant will live again. If you
actually stand there and watch it, you may be able to detect a slight bit of
movement which will thrill you and make you feel connected to nature. You might even coax the plant along – like
touching its leaves gently. Wow, nature
is soft! Oooh, and dusty. This is not normal. Plants should not be coated in dust, This means your house may be dusty and you
might want to think about tidying up a little.
And yes, you can dust your plant.
Perhaps from time to time you can move your plant around the house – try
putting it in the sunlight. Sometimes it
will respond quite favorably. Plants
really enjoy sunlight. This is because
they use the energy of the sun to photosynthesize to help them create energy so
they can live. This is a natural process
and is very cool to read about if you have the time. You can also go back to your 8th
grade science project on photosynthesis to jog your memory. Ask your mom about this. It is likely she still
has it in a box in the basement somewhere labeled “Kids’ memorabilia”, (unless
she is not the sentimental type, in which case, it probably was incinerated
long ago.) It is also very natural for
rain to help plants grow, but it doesn’t rain in your home (unless you live
outside) or have very substantial leaks so that’s why watering is important.
It doesn’t take that much
effort or expertise to ensure your plant stays alive. Water it periodically, see how it likes more
sunny areas of your home, and occasionally, talk to it, if that feels
comfortable to you. Soon enough, you may
be ready for a garden. This is more work
than a houseplant and requires some extra tools like a hoe and shovel. Don’t worry about those for now, just get a
container of water and a dust rag and bid your fern a good morning.
*Conversations with
neighbors can sometimes be uncomfortable, awkward or unwelcome if your neighbor
is A. An annoying college student who plays loud music that you have requested
be turned down. B. A “kooky cat lady” who every time you see her talks at
length about her cat’s diabetes and the quality of its poops. Or C. A sullen
and quiet brooding type who you are not sure you trust entirely, especially
after watching him bring 3 futons into his house. However,
our world is slowly turning into a world of strangers who co-exist on
Facebook, so get to know your neighbor for goodness sake! Would it kill you to bake a batch of cookies
and bring it over?
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