My Orchid Survived the Winter

I love the beauty and the delicacy of Orchids. They are usually fully bloomed when you see them in stores. I buy them occasionally. They add such vibrant colors to our rooms. They make the space brighter and the air fresher.

But I didn’t know how to properly care for them. My orchids never survived under my “care” after a few weeks. A bit discouraging.

I decided to give it a try again last April. I asked around and googled before I picked out a pot of orchids with flowers that had white and yellow hues marked with purple.

From the type of the pot to the amount of water, the level of the room humidity, and more, I studied and followed the instructions carefully.

Weeks past, then months. I was pleasantly surprised to see how nice my orchids looked throughout the Spring, and then the Summer. The flowers were small but beautifully shaped. They all looked inviting and healthy. I enjoyed their presence very much every time when I walked into the room.

Summer past, then there came Fall.

One day, while I was dusting around the house, wiping counters, and vacuuming carpets from under the chair, I noticed one of the dark green leaves from the orchid pot had dropped down to the floor. I stopped moving. I stared at the pot for a while, tried to process why it did that. Why did it drop a leaf after it had stayed beautifully happy and healthy for months?

I watered the pot, then I moved it a little closer to the window. Maybe it needed a little more light since it was getting cooler. I desperately wanted it to live longer.

A few days later, it dropped another leaf. Then a petal… I started getting worried. I examined the pot carefully. I then moved it again, to a new spot I thought could be better than the old one.

It didn’t help. By November, all the withered flowers dropped down to the floor.

“This is it?” I remember thinking. “I had spent all those times and effort studying about you and caring for you.” My disappointment and anger rose up. “I thought I had given you all that you needed. It’s not enough?” Upset, I walked out of the room and left the pot there, all alone, empty and lonely.

Then the Winter came. I didn’t touch my orchids for weeks.

This Winter has been rough and cold. It is the Winter that broke our “ordinary” lives (I’m listening to “Ordinary World” by Duran Duran as I type. It sounds especially good right now). We have had the luxury to take things for granted. Eating at our favorite restaurants, getting-together with friends and families, going to sport games or concerts, playing at the parks/playgrounds with our kids, or just a quick trip to the grocery store. In just a few short weeks, all has changed for each of us and for our communities. This is the Winter of uncertainty and frustration. Everything seems frozen around us.

As I adjust to the stillness of the new life, I decided to do something with my lonely orchid pot. I moved it to the original spot, near the window facing South-East. I watered it again. I’m not sure why I decided to do that. It was just one of those impulsive decisions without much of thought.

I continued caring for the pot and I patiently waited. I waited for that warmer sunlight to beam through our windows and to shine right at the naked, thin branches of my orchid.

It’s almost another April - almost a year since I first started learning how to care for my orchids. One Saturday morning, as I passed by the orchid pot after I opened the window blinds, I noticed two tiny fresh green buds appeared at the tip of one thin trunk. I was so surprised and excited to see that! It almost felt like a miracle, a wish coming true, or a magic trick - from nothing to something, from death to life.

After just a few more days, the little green buds stretched out more, growing steadily everyday. One flower, then two, then three, one at a time. In a matter of three weeks, I had seven fully bloomed orchid flowers looking just as beautiful as they were last year but only fresher and brighter.

I stood there for a moment, admiring the beauty of my reborn orchids. I breathed in deeply. I could almost smell the promise of its fragrance. All of sudden, I felt a bit uplifted.

This year has been very troubling and tumultuous. Muddling through our suddenly isolated lives isn’t easy for anyone. We feel worried, anxious and depressed. It’s tempting to try to find somebody to blame. But the truth is, life is like the orchids. It doesn’t stay beautiful all the time. It could loose color and change drastically. After all, we humans don’t rule nature. We should remain calm, patient and understanding. We shouldn’t loose hope even in the stillness of Winter. The cold chill will leave. The warm sunlight will return, and Spring will come again, revealing all the beauty we have been waiting for. 

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

– Lao Tzud