I want to talk a little bit about my kitchen cactus. When I got to Boston in 2000, the previous tenants of the apartment left a scraggly little aloe vera cactus. I’m not the best with plants (to put it mildly), but over the years, the cactus has managed to survive misfortune and thrive. It’s helped soothe cuts on numerous occasions, and reminds me that even I can manage to keep plants alive sometimes.

Earlier this year it was starting to look especially bad. I read up on matters and discovered it was far too big for the small pot it was living in. I took a risk and split the plant into 5 sections, and then into 5 separate planters. 2 of the sections didn’t make it, including the main branch of the old cactus. The other 3, however, have taken root and thrived – over the last few weeks, little shoots of new cactus have been popping up from the soil! The plants are green and vibrant, and that makes me a little vibrant myself.

Plants are amazing things, and I hope over the rest of my life I can be a more skillful caretaker.