Do I Have A Green Thumb?

About four weeks ago, I attended a meeting at the head office of Amici Restaurants. On my way to the car which was parked right outside the restaurant, I was approached by a man who must be in his sixties. He begged me to buy some of his herbal plants which he brought to Manila from Batangas. He looked weary and tired. His herbs were laid out near the parking lot. Each herb was gingerly planted in a temporary container made of black plastic bag material.

The man offered to sell me each herb for P100.00. I listened to his plea as I did not want to simply dismiss him. The question in my mind at that time was ‘What will I do with those herbs? Do I even have a green thumb?’ But I felt a gentle tug in my heart. The gentle voice told me that it’s not about whether the herbs will live or not. What’s important is that I help the poor man go home to Batangas with some money in his pocket.

Just a week before this encounter, my wife, Monette, and I gave a talk for a marriage retreat in Tagaytay for our Catholic renewal community (Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals or BCBP). We were presented afterward with a tarragon plant as a token of appreciation. So I bought 1 tarragon, 2 rosemary and 2 basil plants from the man from Batangas.

So voila! The family now has herbs to take care of. Monette and I dutifully take turns watering them daily. And I get to brew some fresh tarragon or basil tea every morning.

After I write this blog piece, I will hie off to the nearest garden supply shop to buy some plastic pots for the herbs. Since I bought them 4 weeks ago, they have remained in their black plastic bags. I can almost hear you saying what a bad gardener I am. I plead guilty. But do understand my hesitancy to spend more money on garden materials when I was not even sure if I have a green thumb. But now that I have some sort of confidence that I may have a green thumb after all (though it may be a pale green in color), I can invest in some plastic pots.

Wish me luck as I will gladly share some herbal leaves with you when the time comes.