Rescue (09/15/2025)

My husband drove. It was supposed to be an “in and out” grocery store run. I was going for potatoes and eggs to make potato salad. How complicated could it get?

As I entered the produce section, I walked by the florist stand, and I saw it. A small plant laid on its side, dirt strewn out of its tiny plastic pot. Beside it stood an identical plant, pristinely set inside a ceramic pot. Where was the poor, toppled plants ceramic pot? I caught sight of the worker in the area, showed him the pitiful plant and told him I wanted to buy it. I had a pot at home, so the missing pot wasn’t an issue. I told him if it just laid there with its roots exposed, no moisture, it would perish.

His heart went out to the plant and to me, but he explained he had no jurisdiction over the floral department. I asked if I could see that person, and he told me “no, there isn’t anyone in that position currently.” So, I grabbed the pitiful plant and the other similar plant that still had its pot, fetched my potatoes and headed to the check out counter.

When I got to check out, I asked if I could see the on-duty manager. Lori arrived and I explained the situation. The clerk and the bagger listened intently and piped in on the plant’s behalf. “Let her buy the poor plant and save it.” The rub was, I was asking if I could pay half the price of the perfect twin, still in soil adorned with a ceramic pot. The on-duty manager was in a quandary, too. She didn’t know anything about the values of items from the floral area. She tried to do research, all the while the crowd supporting my rescue effort was growing. Finally, she looked up at me and asked again, “How much do you want to pay?” I told her, and she said, “Fine. If I get in trouble, I’ll just have to deal with it.” The growing group of rescue supporters cheered.

She took me to another register and rang up my unusual purchase. I thanked her several times for her efforts to find an answer that was fair to me and to her employer. I gave her my name in the event our settled upon price wasn’t acceptable. And I exited with my potatoes and my rescue plant to the cheers of the sizeable crowd who had somehow materialized from nowhere.

I got to the car. My husband looked at me in disbelief. My “in and out” had turned into a long stay. I stowed the purchases in the back, got into my front seat, buckled up, and we were off. I started to explain my adventure and my rescue efforts when all of a sudden it hit me. In my desire to save the plant, I’d forgotten the eggs. My husband put on the blinkers, he turned at the next corner and headed back to the store for eggs hoping I didn’t pass anything needing rescue on the way.

I brought the plant home and planted it in a small pot I already had. I put it together with two others, so it wasn't alone. And I felt pretty good about my rescue.

It was just a small plant, pitifully lying on its side on an almost bare floral department shelf, but it caught my eye. And the check-out crew felt for the poor plant’s dilemma and wanted to see it rescued. The crowd that began to form were interested in doing whatever it took to rescue this poor unfortunate plant that was not responsible for its own suffering. What would our world be like if we all went out of way to this degree to help rescue another suffering?  

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.