What nobody tells you about launching a small business in 2026. I knew it was going to be hard. I accepted that. I still do. What I didn't know was how incredibly frustrating it was going to be — fighting the tech stack, fighting the people closest to me, watching my best efforts get relegated to "oh, that's cute" or lost in the void of the internet while Google pondered whether or not it had time for me.

Conversationally with a plant person, I would absolutely NEVER tell you what's in that tub. The water looks like someone pulled a blue baby out of it, and we are not going to discuss why. I dropped a felt-tip pen in there. It looks blue now. Moving on.

I left for cigarettes. That was it. It's a bad habit, I know, but that's not the point here. Focus people. LOOK at this?!?

My SO got me this water prop thingy for Christmas, as he knows I like plants. I think he intended me to use it as a seed started for my yard garden - which is probably a really good use for it - but that's absolutely not what I did. Not (only) because I'm contrary, but because I kept seeing all these people multiplying their plants and it looked cool! Plus I'd get to say "chop & prop" naturally in conversation, which is about as good a reason to do something as anything else