johnny appleseed? ha.

A couple of weeks ago at work, a fellow co-worker went around and gave everyone a little plastic cup of dirt with a seed planted inside. It's supposed to be some sort of inspirational/metaphorical thingy -- cultivating relationships with our students is similar to growing and caring for a plant.

Yeah, that's nice. I, however, took the cup and just sighed. You see, this is something I have never been able to do. Never, ever, ever have I been able to grow something from a seed. Considering my mom can make a dead stick come to life, you would think I would have a bit of green thumb DNA in me. Nope.

Oh, and I'm serious about the dead stick. She took a stick from a former plant at a former residence and stuck it in the ground at her new house. It came back to life. This is the same woman who can cut a leaf off of a plant, stick it in a cup of water, and eventually turn it into small rain forest.

But not me. You know all those time in elementary school when they have you grow a bean? Never did it. Now, as a parent, all the times my kids come home and hand me their seed cup, it still doesn't happen. Once, Sofia had decorated a beautiful pot at preschool and brought it home filled with dirt and gave it to me. Sorry, kiddo, nothing will be sproutin' from there.

Now, I should say that I am perfectly capable of keeping plants alive and growing. I just can't make one burst out of a seed.

So, I sit at work with my cup full of dirt, while everyone around me oohs and aahhs at the green popping out of the soil in their cups. Some have even named the little sprigs. I'm thinking of taking in a fake flower and sticking it in my cup. I'll even water it and stick it in my sunny window.

Nothing like having your inabilities on display for everyone to see...