30 Days Journal - Day 2

I am a terrible journal-er. As an exercise to become better, I decided to do a 30 day journal challenge for myself. Just like during my quarantine, I am using Isolation Journals for daily journal prompt.

Prompt: Think about the last time you looked at something and noticed a change within—studying a painting, an animal, a flower, a piece of fruit, what you saw through a window. Write about what you saw, and what you felt shift.

My roommate bought a fresh bouquet before he left for work for a few months. And before he left he asked me to take care of all his house plants. I am known by most of my past roommates to be an untrustworthy plant sitter, you have to provide direct instructions like how much water at what frequency for me to plant-sit. His instructions however was “I just water them whenever I felt like it.” And with that I gave him a disclaimer that you might not see some of the plants when he gets back. So the first few weeks I watered the plants twice a week, freestyling the amount of water I should be giving to the plant. Then I realize I might be under-watering some of the plants as I watch them slowly weltering away. One day, I posted a IG story and my roommate DM’d me to make sure I water that plant in that photo.

I tried to increase or decrease the water amount and adjusting the frequency but after 3 weeks I am still uncertain how much to put and when. But it reminded me of life’s uncertainties. It reminded me of my friends confiding in me about being first time parents. It reminded me of starting new jobs or moving to a new country. Its so much uncertainty and sometimes it works out and sometimes it is a LOT harder for it to work out. It is also a metaphor for life, you’re never given an instruction to how to live it. You try your best to navigate through it, and like these plants, sometimes the thrive in tough environments (like having me as a plant sitter) and sometimes it dies slowly because of the same environment (I am very sorry).