Perhaps this is the wrong place to plant this thought. Maybe nobody will read it. These comments are now many hours old and HN has a way of walking away once they have had their turn shouting into the void.

I once received a "bonsai" seed kit from a former boss during a holiday dinner. I think it was meant as a joke, but even now I'm not so sure. I planted those seeds anyway. I told some people about it and they immediately mocked me saying it was a waste of time and going to take 30 years. This interaction immediately said everything to me about the expectations and attitudes of others.

Obviously, they grew like any other plants and actually quite nicely. Of course they're a commitment, but not a huge one.

I just wanted some plants for my apartment and they fit the bill. In a few years I had good looking plants. A decade later, I still have them and they're now more recognizably "bonsai". My home now looks nicer, I have a story to tell, and I learned a little bit from a very low stakes hobby.

My point is, I think it's nice when people have projects. I think it's nice to see what comes of it. I guess my only regret is ever saying "I planted bonsai" too soon just because that's what the box said. I didn't know how else to describe what I had done that weekend to those people who threw theirs in the trash.