The Rural Ethicist: The Wise Orchid

By Katharine Adams

March 2026

I speak to my blooming orchid as if it were a sweet, young child. It wears a bright and open expression—the kind of optimism that sparks adults to melt and beam.

“And how art thou, this day?” I croon, enchanted by its purity, my face right up against its buttery, waxy petals, charmed by a hint of ruffle at the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions along its outer edges. I whisper breathily to its blooms like a soap opera vixen on a tryst. I nurture it with carbon dioxide, while also wincing on its behalf, apologizing for having consumed something oniony at lunch.

Orchid. Photo by KL Adams

I sense I might be invading its space, its perfect poise. But I recognize such concerns as my own, silly, human worry. For it is too polite and affable to mind. It sets a gracious tone that accommodates much.

Bouncing to-and-fro when I move the pot slightly, it indulges me if I merely breathe on it, looking like a happy kid on a swing.

It enchants me in its trumpet-shaped pot, a monarch in full-bloom majesty. Two years have gone by since last bloom; meanwhile, just living quietly over in the corner, the orchid has tripled in size. And shamefully, I’d not even taken care of it the way I should have.

As an epiphytic herb with long, thick roots—a plant that grows on trees, not in soil—an orchid prefers a loose, airy potting mix comprised of moss or bark. Once it had outgrown its plastic container (a translucent “food” type keeper), I nudged up the orchid and parked it in a clay pot. Sitting across from a south-facing window, rather than its preferred indirect light, conditions have long been too bright—yet, it appears content.

On my knees, I must confess that poor plant even endured my clipping off a few of its “wayward” aerial roots—still, it put up very nicely with such a stunning, doofus assault. I can see the mouths of my fellow orchid-nurturers agape: “Sheesh, she looks nicer than she really is …”

I didn’t think it would ever bloom again. Still, with exotic and attractive leaves, why not keep it around? It is non-toxic, helps purify the air, tolerates curious cats and doesn’t pout when overdue for a drink. Nor does it get in a kerfuffle if its glossy leaves wear a coat of dust.

Overall, it keeps pleasant company. Sure, you can hang out, pal.

In an era of cultural upheaval, tending a plant teaches much about patience and power balance. And in the case of our relationship, I think even forgiveness.

Moth Orchids (Phalaenopsis amabilis) are the national flower of Indonesia. They’re also native to Australia and get their common name from looking like a moth in flight. Local stores offer many types for sale.

It cannot speak my language, nor can I know its complex signaling systems, known as the mysterious workings of its rhizosphere, but we have a type of subtle, very real communication. I have learned to respect its native origins, while it tolerates my bumbling evolution.

Maybe our nation could consider building a central, public greenhouse to tend. Maybe many problems would be solved by working with our hands more and talking less. By default, we’d be listening to one another a little more actively.

“Move a muscle, change a thought,” as the cognitive-behavioral catchphrase goes. Small actions carry a very practical application by changing the brain’s chemistry. Movement brings a shift in perspective and can break negative thought patterns. By effect, it pretty much underscores the essence of cooperation.

Indiana attorney, poet and author Max Ehrmann wrote the Desiderata in 1927 (it did not originate centuries ago at Old St. Paul’s Church in Baltimore, as legend holds). Its simple counsel is key to maintaining inner strength and perspective.

“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,” and “neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.” 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Rural Ethicist is a column about the culture of the daily mundane. It tolerates an occasional spider, values the bull in horse sense and seeks the gleaming, stainless steel wisdom beneath a film of cooking grease. Above all, it cherishes the gem of our shared existence: family. ruralethicstudio.com