Aloe Vera Envy

Aloe Vera in the Sketchbook

Oaxacans are obsessed with plants, and for a good reason. I have seen a shack put together from corrugated metal sheets by the side of the highway become a successful restaurant. The atmosphere there was so special, because it was beautifully decorated with plants. When you step in, you immediately feel a homely peace, and a respite from the dusty road.

At just about every entrance of a business you will find at least some pot plants inviting you in. The neighbors inhabiting buildings with condominiums in a concrete desert part of town create the illusion of a garden, some shade and freshness by putting up shelves full of decorative plants along their facades. In downtown Oaxaca every street is treelined, and the central town square, the zócalo, is full of giant trees.

While Oaxaca in general is a feast of colors, smells, light and intensity, I realize that the constant presence of fauna contributes a great deal to its beautiful atmosphere.

Personally, I am not a great gardener. Although I like being out in nature, looking at wild plants and walking amongst trees, I know nothing about decorative or house plants and am also no expert or fan of looking after them. Maybe it is related to the fact that I have moved so much in the past, and something that I will explore in the future, or perhaps caring for plants is no business of mine in this life time.

One of the places I rented had a very big, magical garden. It was right by a dried-out river, so there were a lot of reeds, and a salt water spring was running under it. The owner – who had passed over by the time I rented the place – had planted plenty of grass, an avocado tree, a bunch of calla lilies, margaritas, giant pointsettias, and a whole grove of guava trees had formed by itself over the years. It was more of a wild garden arrangement than a carefully curated and manicured affair, so it was low intensity care and felt wonderful to be there.

Right in front of the avocado tree grew some aloe vera plants. They must be one of the most common plants in this part of the world, because they have been in pretty much every garden that I have visited or rented so far.

The little house that the huge garden came with only had a metal roof, so it would get really hot at daytime during the dry season. I used to spend much time outside under the shade of the trees. One particular day, I was feeling so overwhelmed by life in general and the heat in particular, that I broke down in tears of despair and despised how difficult it was to be human.

Out of nowhere, I heard the aloe veras laughing.

“Funny for you”, I grumbled. “You don’t have any obligations apart from just sitting there, blooming and looking pretty. Humans have to take a shower, brush their teeth, comb their hair, eat, shit, work, go shopping, pay bills, socialize and God knows how many things more. How are we supposed to do all that AND enjoy life in our limited time here?”

Frankly, I felt great envy at their uncomplicated plant life and wished for a moment to have been born a plant instead of a human.

“You’re right”, replied the aloe veras, still laughing and being annoyingly cheerful. “Our lives are a lot simpler than yours and we enjoy it very much. But you have hands and feet. Just imagine all that is possible for you, but out of the question for us. What’s it going to be for you?”

The Joy of Being a Plant during the Rainy Season