When local interior design and gardening boutique Baker Tatum invited me to take a short workshop on arranging orchids and succulents, I initially balked at the idea.  As the title to this post may have tipped you off, I do not have a green thumb.  I have whatever the direct opposite of green is, actually.  Anytime my mother-in-law comes over (who has the most uncanny ability to help things grow beyond expectations), she immediately starts weeding my flower beds, watering my desperately neglected bushes, and tsking until I feel like an abusive mother to these plants.  I remember to water my VERY low-maintenance house plants maybe once a week, and somehow they hold on for months at a time, barely on the brink of death but not enough to creep out guests when they come over. Have I made my point? I think so.

Baker Tatum San Antonio

So back to the Baker Tatum event.  I decided to give it a shot despite my lack of gardening skills, and stepped in to the store with modest expectations.  I of course noticed 5,348 home decor items that I secretly added to my “someday when toddlers don’t rule my house I will have this” list and admired all the beautifully potted plants strewn throughout the space.  Owners Jody and Nicole have done a lovely job curating their space and choosing items that you simply won’t find anywhere else.

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The two ladies then explained that we were going to be making these arrangements with a meaningful purpose: we could take one home, and the other would be sold in the store with proceeds benefiting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  As we dug into the mulch, moss, and succulents, my fellow bloggers and I chatted about our various experiences with gardening.  Some were like me and had zero interest, others had dabbled here and there.  But we all enjoyed our time together learning about succulents and orchids, our two victims for the evening.

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Ta-da! My finished orchid and succulent.  I decided to take home the succulent option and it now sits proudly on my desk as I type this.  No, it’s not dead yet.  I think I chose the easier option, but Jody and Nicole insisted orchids are not difficult either with just a little tender loving care.  On my drive home that evening, I started to think about my shortcomings as a gardener.  Why was it so important to me to be great at taking care of plants?  Why am I not ok with simply excelling in some areas but not in others?  Are we, as women, programmed to feel the need to be good at EVERYTHING, no matter what?

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Have you seen the Sarah Jessica Parker movie “I don’t know how she does it?” Me neither, because I was pretty sure it was going to be a depressing reflection of my own life that might crush my little be-everything-to-everyone heart.  There are so many women in my life who are GREAT at plenty of things, but feel inadequate because they’re not good at EVERYTHING.  For the love of Pete, why do we do that to ourselves?  Life’s hard enough without adding additional pressure to be the perfect cook, gardener, stylist, educator, mother, career woman, housekeeper, and socialite. ESPECIALLY not at the same time!

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So here’s the deal: I’ve decided I’m never going to be good at gardening.  But Jody and Nicole are.  So I’m happy for them, I’m happy to support Baker Tatum, and I’m not going to let their super stardom in any way diminish the fact that it’s not my forte.  I have other strengths, and I need to be content with them.  No more, no less.  If we, as women, can be happy just being FABULOUS at what makes us tick, then we don’t have to waste time worrying about the areas we struggle to feign interest in.  There are plenty of other people in the world who will step up to the plate in those departments.  As Kevin Hart says, “You do you, boo boo.”  Yup, I quoted Kevin Hart at the end of a sentimental soliloquy.  It’s what I do, among other talents. 🙂

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See? I am really great at taking selfies in bright pink mirrors.  🙂

XO,

A

P.S. I participated in a complimentary workshop and received a plant in exchange for this post.  Don’t worry though, all opinions are my own!