When my fiance and I first moved into the condo she bought me a little tree at an Asian market. She said they called it a money tree. Of course I laughed and asked where the $20′s come from. As time went on I started to look at the tree as a metaphor for our finances. Things just seemed to line up. We bought the condo the little guy had a few leaves and was growing stronger every day. When we did our renovations our accounts were drained and at the same time the main branch on the tree was broken but there where signs a new one was starting to grow. Since the renovations the tree has been growing stronger and stronger like our finances until a few weeks ago when the leaves started turning brown!!
What’s wrong with the money tree?
I thought the leaves were turning brown because we weren’t watering it enough. This theory was thrown out the window this week when I took a closer look. The leaves were covered in a sugary type substance and I knew what it was right away. It was a black scale infestation, a bug that seems to serve very little purpose in this world except to kill citrus trees, olive trees, and apparently my money tree.
The insects look like little small black bumps and don’t really move. I’ve never seen their larvae but apparently they are the ones that leave the sugary substance behind. This sugary substance blocks out the sun and kills the plant. I had bought an olive tree last year that was infested and decided to get rid of it. I guess some of these buggers were left behind on some of my other plants and finally found a new home on my money tree.
What does this mean for our finances?
I’m not entirely sure what this means. Is there something small (like the black scale) that I’m not seeing that will ruin us financially. I’m beginning to wonder and cycle through everything that is going on in my life:
- Am I going to lose my job?
- Is the investment LOC going to sink me?
- Are we making a mistake by booking an extravagant honeymoon?
- Are the we not paying enough attention to the little expenses that are creeping up from the wedding?
I would never take any action based on whats happening to a plant but for the first time during this recession I’m nervous. I’m also pretty surprised that a symbol would have this much of an effect on me. At this point I just want my money tree better and I don’t care how!
Do you have a symbolic representation of your finances?
-mfd-
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Bunch of Mumbo Jumbo…
You over watered for one… when a money tree turns yellow stop watering it so much.
Second a mild soap water spray will kill the bug.. just mix up one good squeeze of dish soap in a spray bottle of water and give the plants a nice squirt a few times a week until the bugs are gone.
Stop your superstitious tendencies and learn to use logic and reason. The poor health of a plant has nothing to do with portents and everything to do with the fact that you are missing some basic plant care techniques and are in fact the reason why your plant is dying.
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