{"id":2666,"date":"2020-07-21T13:51:51","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T05:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brack.sg\/?p=2666"},"modified":"2020-07-22T11:24:35","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T03:24:35","slug":"a-desire-to-take-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brack.sg\/index.php\/2020\/07\/21\/a-desire-to-take-care\/","title":{"rendered":"A Desire to Take Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

COVID Companions is a series of creative pieces featuring snippets of life during COVID-19, with a special focus on the other individuals or creatures who are keeping us company during quarantine, lockdown, \u2018circuit breaker\u2019, or whatever your equivalent might be. <\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As feelings of distress simmer in times of collective grief, we are called to create new routines for resetting and reflection. From Zoom Meetings to Google Meets, the affordances of digital platforms have given us ways to connect with one another while being apart. Yet on days when screens become overstimulating, I am learning to divert my attention offline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With a longing for green spaces, my houseplants and seedlings become my new companions. There is an emerging obsession with houseplants. I take this rising trend in my stride to connect with the community of house-plants lovers and grow my plant knowledge. Care takes the form of receiving a gardening tip from a stranger halfway across the globe after posting \u201cwhat\u2019s wrong with my plant?\u201d They may be right to say when you share plant tips, you create more green thumbs. I am learning something new every day \u2013 be it moisture control, root systems, plant types or making my own potting mix (for good drainage!), organic fertilizers and pesticides. Fascinating discoveries also go beyond practical gardening tips to music. Recently, a dear friend, Judea shared with me Mother Earth’s Plantasia (1976). Composed by Mort Garson, this electronic album has music dedicated for plants to listen to and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image credits: Sacred Bones Records, released 6\/21\/2019 | Retrieved from here<\/a> <\/em>  <\/em>
To listen to the Mort Garson – Mother Earth’s Plantasia (Official Full Album Stream): <\/em>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SZkR3PyHTs0<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These might all be the early signs of becoming a plant mom, but it is surely uplifting to witness how we can grow a community when we share our knowledge generously – or even simply some anecdotes about everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living\nto grow<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caring for plants brings wonder. The process is both rewarding and revelatory when I witness them thriving day by day. Growth is distinctively made visible during plant propagation by leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, air layering, root division, and more. Each plant requires differentiated care, which forces me to pay attention and embrace its unique conditions and traits. There is something cathartic about this enduring process as I journal and await new growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n