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Plants

Plants pursue a never-ending quest fornourishment（食物，营养品）of the liquid and solar variety. Clearly, the very essence of life. But what can ourobsession（痴迷，困扰）with plants teach us about our own personal journeys?

My aunts, mom and grandma always talk about their plants when they get together. They trade cuttings, smuggling them over state lines topropagate（繁殖，增殖）at home. They discuss their plants like children or pets. They share tips. Compare progress.

We turn plants intosentimental（感伤的）objects as we do with books and art, but with plants it’s different because they’re alive. They grow and change. You see photographs of your former apartment, and there’s that peacelily（百合花）, half its present size. It’s like looking at old family pictures: “Look how little you used to be! Plants have a history and a life. That’s why they’re so hard to give up, even when you don’t love them anymore, even when you don’t have room for them. What are you supposed to do, just let them die? Impossible.

When I had to move everything out of my house recently, I realized there were more little plants than I was willing to find places for in my newcramped（狭窄的，难懂的）quarters. I thought, it’s silly to be sentimental about these plants. I can replace them later if I want. Yet I just couldn’t give up thesucculent（多汁的，多水分的）I kept alive during my first year of teaching.