Waiting for a Japanese rose to bloom

Some days back, my nextdoor neighbour placed a small pot on her window sill with a "Japan rose" (that's what we Maldivians call them). I consider such hardy plants as the lazy person's choice because they don't die even if the owner "forgets" to provide water for a few days.

But one thing that bothers me is that some people, as per new year resolutions or not, embark on "new" hobbies such as gardening, keeping aquariums, and adopting pets such as cats and parrots, without giving due consideration that they are living organisms which require constant care and attention.

Without a second thought, due to initial fascination and excitement perhaps, some people just get those things into their homes, take care of them with much zest only in the initial days, and then conveniently forget about them when life's other, more important necessities, take over their attention.

My nextdoor neighbour seems to fall into this category. Initially, her "Japan rose" plants would bloom every day - a sign that they were healthy back then - and I would, every morning, go to my room's window to take a look and appreciate the sight of these exquisite flowers. The "record" so far was 8 pink flowers in bloom simultaneously on one day which gave me a pleasant feeling to wonder at the intricacies of Nature.

Such a little pleasure of life can amount to something to look forward to daily. There's a zen energy and Islamic philosophy which states that if we humans seek to remain happy and contented, we should not be absorbed and distracted wholly by the demands and stresses of our day-to-day lives that would make us fail to stop to appreciate and smell the flowers growing by the roadside.

Tragically, my neighbor is now neglecting to take care of her "Japan rose": not only has the plant failed to bloom this week, but also the leaves are showing signs of wilting. Although she has no obligation to make me or anyone else happy, it's making me sad that I now don't get to experience something as "trivial" as observing the growth and blooming of such colourful "Japan roses".