I wonder how thirsty we are

Thoughts on resistance

Kaitlin Curtice, in her wonderful book Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision of Seeking Wholeness Every Day (2023) writes:

I keep a begonia plant in my office, on my desk by the window. It’s thriving in that spot, right beside the bright light that filters in through the blue curtain in the afternoon. I have learned to care for begonias because I have killed a few in my time, and every time it is painful to admit that I could not keep them alive and well. When this begonia plant flourishes, I am full of hope. But still, sometimes I notice that they are thirsty. I pour water from my own drinking glass into the plastic container beneath the pot, so their roots can drink first. Within seconds, the water disappears, and I say to myself, “Oh, you were so thirsty.” They keep drinking and blooming and asking for more care in that most gentle way plants do, and I say that I am sorry when they are too thirsty or too drenched in sunlight. And I wonder how thirsty we are, or if we notice, if th…