Monstera Life
Panama in Brooklyn at the end of January
Wild seedlings grow towards the darkest area until they find a tree trunk, then they start to grow up towards the light.
But, her Monstera was withering and she didn’t know how to save it.
Charlie came home exhausted from an edgy day at the office. It was 3°F outside and she felt like she had lost the battle. It was at the corner of Driggs and Russell, during her walk home, that a Pokémon made a surprise-attack with piercing, icy wind and she slipped. It was a mature Blastoise and water type, as well as the last straw. Charlie was done and defeated for the day.
Wanting nothing more than to plank into bed, the languid state of her Monstera stared right at her as she opened the bedroom door.
“Cool.” she thought as she proceeded to close the door and walk towards the bathroom. Charlie turned on the hot water and closed the door.
“Self-care, self-love, patience,” she reminded herself as the steam rushed in and filled the space. The mist was soothing and helped with clarity and rational thinking. Charlie’s thoughts about the past couple of days were so debilitating that she couldn’t bear to think about them anymore. So, she didn’t. Her focus was on the Monstera and the yellow, curled tips of her favorite leaf. What could she do? The soil was slightly wet and the exposure to sunlight (maybe not as strong as it needed to be) was still present.
She then had an idea.
Charlie decided to drag the plant into the bathroom with her.
With a quick shrug to the fact that her roommates could see this comical feat at any point, Charlie went to the bedroom and then shuffled back into the bathroom with her large and cumbersome Monstera. She placed the plant comfortably by the door, climbed into the shower, positioned her face towards the water that ran with immense pressure and began to cry. Her tears fell in sync to the water and anomalous musical backdrop of sad, soppy Indie music. Was her Monstera going to stay alive? How was she going to control all that was spiraling out of control in her life?
She couldn’t recreate the tropical climate of the Honduras or Panama in her cold and busy Brooklyn apartment. She couldn’t control anything.
After letting the water pressure beat her face into a state of numbness, she shut the water off and thought, “What’s my purpose? What am I doing?”
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she giggled, “ …trying to save this plant, I guess.”
And saving the Monstera was what she was going to try to do.
Author’s note: The Monstera starts in darkness and grows up towards the light.
“Monstera Life” is about taking challenges one at a time and taking a step back from the chaos when you are feeling overwhelmed. Focusing on one thing and feeling optimistic about it can help you regain clarity and hope in other parts of your life that at this point in time may feel out of control.
Also, this is actually a true story. So to anyone that knows and understands Monstera plants, please send some life-saving information. Thank you!
