posting no more

Started using the Instagram application three years ago, and several good things happened. I could take photos of my most precious plants and share them with the plant world. I met many interesting people from all over the world whose photos are also outstandingly good. I was able to monitor the growth of my plants and how I grew as a plant parent. It was a wonderful journey.

I started with a few photos of my daily discoveries while practicing my photo-taking skills using a mobile phone. A friend whose works were published in National Geographic was giving me some pointers. He was a parent of a former student, and he was nice enough to give me some pointers. I am inspired by his underwater photos. 

I met someone whose interest was in cacti and succulents. He became a guide as to which were the best to collect, and aloes became our topic most of the time. We were what you could call ‘naughty’ IG friends. We had some very interesting chats using aloes as springboards for our discussions. 

I also befriended several people giving me adulation for my writings, photos, and selfies. I didn’t believe I would be sought after by a handful of strangers from Italy, Russia, and the USA. Thanks to filters, all my blemishes were kind of blurred. Hahaha! I was also befriended by someone whose profile pic and photos were from a South Korean person. A week came, and the person was already borrowing money. Well, I did what others will do, block him off. 

Best were those who were really into gardening, and our exchanges and likes were constant. Most were Americans, a couple from the Philippines, and the rest from England and others. I also have very few IG acquaintances from Thailand. Meeting new friends was fun and exciting as long as we guard ourselves against scammers and undesirable people. 

I became a full-time gardener as I started growing many kinds and types of plants. I became a sucker for Philodendrons and Alocasias. There was a period I was collecting anthuriums and bromeliads. I started getting hoyas and a few orchids. I collected a lot of cacti and succulents along my journey. I also started planting fruit-bearing trees in my garden. I am learning a lot both in growing plants and from taking lovely photos of them and writing captions. 

Until my work became so toxic, I simply couldn’t put effort into posting anymore on Instagram. I decided to quit and focus more on my work as an educator. However, I did not quit planting and learning about plants. I already have a garden I can call my own, a decent one worthy of an Instagram photo.