January Writing Challenge | Day 20 | Fantasy | Imagination

If I Were a Plant, What Would I Choose To Be?

I’m not sure if I’d be able to cope as a plant. But here goes…

Back in 2012: The desert garden school project my son did with the help of his late mum. Author’s own photo

The idea of being a plant is not something I’ve thought about before, and I can’t say I find it very appealing.

The lack of mobility would bother me. I would feel vulnerable and dependent on factors outside my control.

Perhaps I would want to be one of the Triffids in The Day of the Triffids!

But I’m not overly keen on the idea of going around killing humans.

So what else might I choose?

Life as a tree

Some trees have very long lives. And I like the idea of being big, strong, and stable. But I’m not sure about being in a park where dogs might use me as a toilet.

There’s also the worry about being chopped down if they decide I’m in the way. Or getting something like Dutch elm disease.

Other plants

My parents loved gardening, and when I was a child I enjoyed helping them look after our garden. I tended to focus on mowing the lawn and growing lupins.

My parents’ gardens in the 1960s and 1970s. Author’s own photo

Unfortunately, whatever childhood interest I may have had seemed to wane after my teenage years. Except for my lupins, perhaps it was more about helping my parents than being interested in the plants themselves.

My late wife showed more interest in gardening. But over the last ten years, the few plants we had don’t seem to have fared too well under my care. All that’s left outside are some rose bushes which are looking rather neglected.

With this in mind, I would be more concerned about who looks after me if I were a plant, rather than the kind of plant I would be.

The longest-lasting plants here are some cacti that started life as my son’s school project around 11 years ago. They are still alive, no thanks to me.

Nearly 11 years later — my son’s desert garden today. Author’s own photo

So my final choice is a cactus because I might have a chance of surviving a significant amount of neglect.

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About this challenge

Thank you to Keeley Schroder for creating this January writing challenge. Keeley has listed 31 different topics — one for each day of the month — the idea being to write up to 500 words. Here are the details:

Challenge Yourself: Is One of Your Resolutions to Write More In 2023?

Some of the other participants:

Keeley Schroder, Adrienne Beaumont, Bernie Pullen, NancyO, Karen Schwartz, Robert G. Longpré — [he/him] — Canadian métis, Katie Michaelson, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Brett Jenae Tomlin, redkitewrites, The Sturg, and Trisha Faye.

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