Basil is the Posh Princess of the Herb Family

I have 2 ½ weeks left until I am done with my graduate program. Forever. That means no more school… ever. Needless to say, I have been dealing with some rather paralyzing anxiety about the future: completing my final papers and projects, graduating, taking the licensing exam, finding a JOB. Yikes, the real world scares me. (So by the way, if anyone hears of any open social work positions in the Houston area, let me know). However, I fight back: when I feel the anxiety rise up and start to take over, I promptly grab my journal and a cup of coffee in my pretty pink mug and go out to my sweet little porch that overlooks my herb garden. It is truly a restorative oasis that has brought me so much joy this spring. Don’t you just love spring? Minus the whole graduation, impending life decisions thing…

So today I was sitting out on my porch looking at my herbs and thinking about all the different ways I can use them: homemade bread crumbs, pasta sauces, infused teas... Here’s a picture. Aren’t they pretty? I know my garden is small but hey, I live in the middle of a huge city, you take what you can get.

Do you notice anything? Besides that cool piece of yard art, I mean. Like… do you notice how small and puny my basil plant is compared to everything else? This is something that really ticks me off. I give these plants so much TLC it’s not even funny. I water them every day. I make sure they have good, rich soil. I even mix in my leftover coffee grounds with the earth to give it some added nutrients. Everything else is thriving: the rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, mint and sage. But that basil… I am telling you. I have been baby-ing it for a month now and it refuses to grow in height or stature. It just sits there looking pathetic. Here’s a close up:

I don’t have room for this high-maintenance act in my life. I much more admire the resiliency of my mint plant that endured being uprooted from my mother’s garden, transported on a 3.5 hour hot car ride to Houston, and then replanted in a spot that only gets sunlight a few hours a day. It has endured hardship but is wild, tangly, thriving and beautiful. That’s my kind of girl. The posh princess basil needs to wake up and meet the real world. This is not a comfortable green house; this is humid, hot Houston. We (the basil and I) need take a little life lesson from the mint and not stagnate when faced with life’s stressors.