A cheap, plastic plant. $5 (plus sales tax if applicable). My workspace was feeling a little gloomy, needed a change. I wasn’t sure what it was lacking. But

A cheap, plastic plant. $5 (plus sales tax if applicable). My workspace was feeling a little gloomy, needed a change. I wasn’t sure what it was lacking. But I was sure that it was lacking something. It just felt dead. Imitation life to the rescue. This overpriced piece of plastic made me smile. I don’t want to kill a plant out of negligence, or buy something that turned out to be bad for me, so this is a good compromise for now. I say cheap, but it looks surprisingly real for what it is. Especially from a distance. It looks alive. I’m somewhere else now, but was in the same chain where I bought the first. Saw some more, made me smile. Like seeing a mall santa as an adult. I know that’s a stranger in a costume impersonating a fictional character. But it doesn’t matter, because Christmas. I don’t need to believe that’s Santa to smile. I don’t need a real plant, either. At least for now. I rather need not a real plant at the moment. Bought one for here as well. It sounds so silly, in part because in some ways it is, but it makes me happy. I know it is fake. Devoid of life. That leaves just the tinge of sadness. A real one would be even better. (A real Santa would be great too.) But I want to make sure that I’m ready for that responsibility. Soon. So for now, I look at that hunk of plastic. And I smile.