Lady O

Right up front, I'd like to make a confession: I anthropomorphize almost everything. I regularly give human qualities to objects and plants. It isn't necessarily intentional; it's just comes naturally. Everything has a personality...including my orchid.

In February of 2011, I received an orchid. At first, I thought, "An orchid? How will I care for an orchid?" At that point I only had one other plant, and I was trying my best to keep it alive. I was mystified by orchids. They seemed so beautiful and fragile.

I Googled and read and learned. It turns out that orchids are fairly independent. They need a little water every week and sunlight. That's all. Any more fuss than that, and they can perish fairly easily.

I love my orchid. I notice her every day, even if only for a few moments. Lady O lives beside my vintage planters (including Golden Eyes the Squirrel) in a pitcher window in the dining room. Sometimes she seems to stay the same for weeks and weeks. And then, out of nowhere, she will send out a new shoot! A few more weeks will pass and there will be buds. And then a few more weeks pass and there will be blossoms.

She gets plenty of light, but I've noticed this week that she seems to be stretching for even more...inching closer and closer to the glass.

Maybe she needs a little more sun. Or a better view of the snow piles outside. Or maybe sometimes orchid buds just like to hang-out a really long way from the roots and leaves. 

Whatever the reason, Lady O has been stretching. And she has been reminding me to stretch, too, both my body and my spirit. 

Stretching is good. It always leads us closer to the light.