Orchid Goals

I'm honestly not sure when I began collecting orchids.  One day, I just started saying "I collect orchids."  I mean, 12 plants is considered a collection, so the statement is true.  When I tell people about my hobby, they look shocked.  They reply with exasperation how difficult it is to keep an orchid alive.  They tell a story about a friend who gave them a plant as a housewarming gift and the within a week it was dead.  I smile and nod, saying yes, I know, it's a challenge.  And then they ask my secret.  I tell them that if I share it with them, they have to take me very seriously.  They have to follow each word I say.  They nod excitedly, anxious for the big reveal.  And then I say "I simply ignore them."  I give them a little water each week, maybe a little orchid love from time to time.    But my real secret, the one no one wants to hear, is that I'm patient.  There are many months out of the year that the plants are bare, simply a pot filled with long green leaves and crazy roots sticking up in all directions.  And then a tiny shoot will form and within a few weeks, the plant will be filled with beautiful flowers which will linger for months.  Until one day the first flower drops and the rest quickly follow.  It's then that I am patient again.  Patience is the secret weapon.