Took the weekend off to drown myself in distractions and to try and get to this morning as quickly as possible. I dropped my car off at the shop at 9am, and a little bit after 3pm I received a call from them: my alternator is shot, they won’t have the part until Wednesday, and because of where the alternator is located, they have to remove my AC compressor and drain the coolant, all of which will add to the overall cost of the repair. “Whatever it costs, I’m okay with,” I told them. “Okay, the total cost will be—“ and he rattled off four figures.

I made a soft noise and shrugged it off. I was supposed to take all of next week off from work while I went on my road trip, but this setback convinced me to cancel it. Instead, I’m taking my vacation now while I’m out of a car until at least Wednesday. I’ve been knee-deep in MLB’s trade deadline, and that should keep my mind busy until tomorrow.

Also, my marigolds are thriving, and watching these buds grow and then eventually sprout has been some of the coolest moments I’ve had in a while. My bank account will definitely be poorer soon, but my spirit isn’t and won’t be any time soon.

My marigolds first began to bloom a few months ago, and since then, they have brought me nothing but joy. They just recently began to bloom some more, and each time I draw open my curtains in the morning, they are the first thing I see, and oh man, I just love seeing them.

Last fall, at the beginning of the school year, our second grade class planted marigolds and the week before the holiday break, they began to hand them out to the staff. They planted them in milk cartons they cut out and painted themselves, and the marigolds were little shoots when they gave me mine.

I’ve never been a plant person, and I really had no idea what to do, other than water them and make sure they get enough sun. However, it was the middle of winter when I received them, so I was very worried they would die quickly. To my surprise, they are still alive, and I think now they’re flourishing, and that’s so much fun to see.

I may have not been a plant person before, but I think I am one now. What else should I plant?