I saved a life today.

Not to brag, and I certainly am not looking for an award or anything, but I am exceptionally proud of myself and I just think people should know.

Before I dive into the whole story, let me start out by explaining why this is a big deal. I am not the most responsible woman to have ever walked the earth. My father would interject, ‘That’s the understatement of the year!’ Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt my feelings. He’d be right.

I have a brother and a sister, both older, and both amazing human beings. My brother does medical research and is well on his way to curing a form of cancer and winning a Nobel Prize. My sister, while not quite as prestigious, is a high school teacher and has been selected by the graduating class to give the Commencement address seven years in a row. The students love her. Like I said, they are amazing human beings.

And a lot to live up to.

As the youngest, I never really felt the need to do anything special with my life. I’m content to do my YouTube makeup tutorials and bask in the adoration of my 1.3 million Instagram followers. I suppose, in my own way, I’m also shaping young minds and performing a service. Hey, I’ll take what I can get.

Anyway, my sister and her husband went on vacation and asked me to look after their apartment. Sure, fine, I can do what I do from anywhere. They wanted me to get their mail and water their plants and just make sure no emergencies went unanswered, turning into  catastrophes. The fact that they asked me to do this told me two things:

1. They appreciate me and trust me with their prized possessions in their absence. And
2. No one else was available.

I packed my bags and my laptop and everything I would need to continue to meet the demands of my public and moved into my sister’s place for two weeks. Everything was wonderful! Their location was prime for delivery from a lot more restaurants than my dinky place and they had the biggest cable package. I got to watch all the trash tv my little heart could handle.

Waking up on the eighth day of my stay in heaven, I took a leisurely stroll through the apartment, stepping out on the balcony for the first time. I didn’t normally wake up early enough to see it, but this day the sun was shining beautifully onto the balcony and it just looked so inviting. And perfect lighting for a few ‘#IWokeUpLikeThis’ Insta posts.

I took a few practice shots to find just the right angle, and that’s when I saw it: there, the lower corner of my picture, was a drooping, despondent plant with giant green leaves and long white half-flowers. Well, I say green leaves, but they were starting to turn yellow and were hanging down around the pot like wilted lettuce.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no.” This couldn’t be happening. They asked me to do just a couple of minor things and I failed already. How was I supposed to know there was a plant out here?! She didn’t give me a list or a map or anything. If I hadn’t stepped out here this morning, this plant would be dead before tomorrow.

I had to act fast.

“Come on, little guy, don’t give up on me! You have a lot to live for!” I dashed back into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. Things were going to get pretty intense if I was going to pull this off. Plus it’s essential to stay hydrated.

“Okay, let’s see, where do I start? What do you do with sick plants?” With my cell in my hand I started doing some research. I started with how to make plants grow so I knew where to start. The first thing that popped up was an article about how positive talk makes plants thrive. Of course! I know I would die without the comments from my fans on how shiny my hair is or how my eyeliner is on-point or how I brighten up their day just by being positive. This little guy was out here all alone getting absolutely zero attention. My task was clear.

“You’re not dying on MY watch, buddy.” I sat down on the balcony in front of the sad little drooper and centered myself internally to channel the most positive energy I could. “I’m sure when you’re at your best you really shine, don’t you? Well, I am here to make you better and bring that dazzle back to your chlorophyll and tell you all the reasons your leaves should stand up tall and proud, every single day!”

This was going to be a lot of talking, so I chugged about half of my water in preparation. Then, thinking that if I needed to lubricate for this deep convo, my little buddy might need to, also. I poured the rest of the liquid into the dirt under his dull sadness, ran back in for another bottle, and set to work.

“Plants are so super important. Just by being here you help keep us humans alive! Without you little dudes, we would run out of oxygen and suffocate. By being alive, you keep US alive. And think about the shade you provide to all the tiny critters in your dirt. You know they couldn’t survive the sun for long without you. That’s even MORE living things that depend on you!”

That was about the end of my pep talk and I was freaking out a little. There had been no change and I didn’t know enough about plants to be really effective. I lifted up one of the long, thin stems of the half-flowers and looked it over.

“Oh! And this little flower thingy that you have here? What would the bees do without this? You provide them the building materials they need to make their homes and their honey. Did you know all the bees are dying? If you weren’t here, you’d be hurting them, too! You have to do your part. Think about that. Plus – you are right in front of this glass, where all the other inside flowers can see you. If YOU give up, the one big strong plant that actually lives IN the sun and the fresh air, what will the rest of them think?”

I was really starting to connect with this plant and suddenly realized I didn’t know his name. Closing my eyes, I reached out with an open mind and waited for him to tell me. He wasn’t very forthcoming at first, and I’ll admit I started to doze off in the silence. I mean, the sun