Cactus Man (Writing Inspired by Images Project)

 

       (Top Left: My picture of my little Cactus, Bottom Left: Picture of a man standing amongst big cacti in a desert, Right: MC Eschers Self-Portrait)

   
       

George is 37, trying to get over a cigarette addiction, and is on a plane to Arizona from Vermont because his therapist told him that he needed to get out and see nature in a completely new place.

    George doesn’t think it will do too much to help him, but he has an inkling of hope that it might, so he went anyway.

    George has always liked plants secretly, (he’d be too afraid to be judged by anyone if he told them.) so he decided to go out to see the cacti in the desert. He didn’t want to do something too stereotypically tourist-y so he wouldn’t have to be around that many people.

    

    The woman who runs the Inn that he’s staying at has a hairless cat that looks angry all the time and it bothers George. He’s starting to take note of how weird everyone is, and it makes him a little less insecure about being himself and having little quirks. He’s starting to see how this trip is successful so far. Maybe he’ll call his mom later and tell her about it.

   

    The next day George goes out to the desert, and with the help of a few locals, gets directions for some good places for cacti and other desert plants. He finds himself amazed by the size of the plants, and appreciates them more. He loves the heat and feels good about himself. He’s having a good day.

    On the second day, he’s asking a man he met out in the desert about the plants. The man works with the local Horticulture club and they get in a surprisingly deep conversation about how George’s therapist was right about nature being therapeutic. The man invites George to stop by the nursery the next day to check out all the interesting plants. George agrees to go.

     The next day George has a lot of fun learning about all the different plants, how they can be used to help people, and how they’re grown. George has never felt so interested or passionate about anything in his life. The people who take care of the plants tell him he’s a natural when he helps plants a new baby Thyme plant, and he jokingly says “maybe this is my calling”, but it wasn’t really a joke at all. He feels like he belongs in this place. The environment makes him happy.

   A week later George has officially moved to Arizona. He’s slowly and successfully smoking less and less cigarettes. He loves himself and his life more and more every day. He has a job at the nursery’s store and even though he has to pay off a loan, he could care less about that as long as he’s happy.

   The little cactus in the picture is the first little plant he took home for himself after he went to Arizona and before he moved there. He plans to fill his new apartment with many more little plants. He’s so happy he went out in to nature to find himself.