The Orchid

One day, a man was walking around in a flower shop. He saw an orchid on display and immediately wanted to take it home. It was fine and delicate. The Orchid said to the man, "You may take me home, but I am delicate and you must be careful with me, or I will not grow."

The man replied that he did not know how to look after an orchid, as he'd never had one before. He didn't realise that each flower requires different levels of care. The Orchid carefully explained its needs; what makes the petals bright, what makes the roots strong, and just what amount of nurturing would make it the best orchid the man had ever seen. He paid attention, but was a little overwhelmed. Placing the orchid in a prime position in his house, he tried hard to follow the instructions he was given and the Orchid bloomed.

But over time, he became nervous. What if I water too much? What if I water too little? How do I know if I'm doing enough? Again, the Orchid reminded the man how to feed and nurture it in just the right amounts. The Orchid told the man that all it would take was a little attention each day and that would be enough for it to grow into a flower the man would be proud of.

The man panicked. He did not want to make a mistake. He did not want to over-water. He did not want to under-water. So each day he simply sat and watched the orchid. At first, there was little change and the man did not notice, because he was tending to other things. But slowly, the colours of the petals started to fade and the leaves started to wilt.

"I wish I knew what to do", cried the man. "You do", said the Orchid, softly, "Remember the care you gave me when you first brought me home? You made me bloom and grow better than I was before."

"I want you to have beautiful petals and I want you to bloom", replied the man, "I do not want you to suffer." Yet all he could do was sit and watch as greens turned dull and the Orchid became sicker and sicker.

And eventually, he watched the Orchid die.