We Packed Snacks, Chargers… and Her

About a plant, a playlist, and the quiet ways we learn to care.

In February, we brought home a little nerve plant.
Pretty white veins, soft green leaves.
The nursery guy said she’s low maintenance.
We believed him.

All our other plants…monstera, snake, money plant, the cactus guy, need water once or twice a week.
We figured this one would fall in line too.

But in just two days, her shoulders dropped.
She slumped like the world had let her down.

We worried, were we already failing to tend to her?

The next morning, we gave her a gentle mist.
By afternoon, she was upright again.
Full of herself.

That’s when we knew! This one is drama.
She needs TLC.
Every. Single. Day.

We named her Princy.

---

Months later, we were planning a road trip.
Clothes, chargers, snacks… and then came the plants.
Most would manage.
But Princy?

Should we send her to the neighbour’s?
Daily misting, no forgetfulness allowed?

Or… should we just take her with us?

So we did!

She sat in the backseat, tucked in like a VIP.
Ro was driving.
And after every bump or speed breaker, he’d call out,
“Princy!”

And I’d turn around to check.
She swayed a little but mostly sat calm
taking in the views like she belonged there.

When we came back, no droopy shoulders.
No drama.
Just this quiet, content glow.

Ro looked at her and said,
“She looks so fresh and happy.”

And I said,
“She’s probably telling the cactus all about her mini vacation.”

---

That same trip, we didn’t carry a playlist.
We decided to go with the flow. Let the songs find us.

But when one unfamiliar song came on, I asked Ro to skip it.
“Why?” he said.
“I don’t know this one,” I replied.

And then I paused.
What does that even mean?
Why do we like the things we like?

How do we begin to like something?
A song?
A place?
A person?

Is it always about familiarity?
Or is it about association?
A warm moment. A memory. A version of ourselves we liked being.

---

I have a mug I use only for coffee.
Another rose colored, for tea.
A green one for days I feel creative.
They sit pretty on a white shelf.
They’ve seen me through slow mornings and late-night thoughts.

Maybe that’s why they feel right.
They’ve just… been there.

Sometimes we learn to love things by accident.

A song we didn’t care for, until it played during our first dance.
A corner of the city we didn’t notice, until we stood there on a good day.
A person we kept bumping into, until one day, something clicked.

And sometimes, we just know.

---

We like the things we care for.
We care for the things we like.

We all have our Princys…
songs, mugs, people, places, parts of us
that don’t travel well without care.

And instead of leaving them behind,
maybe it’s worth carrying them with us.

🌸🌸🌸