Diary of a Future Ethnobotanist Pt. 2: Child transference: the best of its kind

So I'm starting to get a feel (and taste, smell, and eye) for which plants look like what and what ailments they can help. My great long-term memory and innate intuition come in handy, especially when there are thousands upon thousands of species of plants, and I only know just over 200 of them!

I want to share a story; dedicated to my instructor Dave Jolly. When we first spoke we were discussing how my newfound plant knowledge would come with the responsibility of sharing it with others. Already I feel as though I've already made a difference with one of the children I nanny.

There's a bright, fun, and totally loveable child for whom I care for at times when her father asks. She's one of the most unique persons I know (and I know a lot of people!) and last week when we hung out, we went for a long walk and collected some samples of plants for her own plant identification sample book.

Yesterday we went on another outing, and among other things, we found an edible plant; one that we had found almost two weeks earlier. When I offered her a part of the plant stem, she actually referred to the plant by name (wood sorrel, which tastes sweet and lemony) and I got so proud I started shrieking "Oh my goodness! Oh my gosh! Great work, I can't believe you remembered that!!"

It was a moment that I will remember forever. It's the same feeling I get when I am explaining something of great depth to someone, and they finally understand. I imagine that for anyone who has ever tried to teach or impart knowledge to someone else, it's the same feeling.

All I know is that I've been given permission from the girl's father to teach her what I can about edible and medicinal plants, and I want to take advantage of it. If I knew about medicinal plants as a kid, I might have been a much healthier individual, which is my hope for my child friend and any others I am privileged to teach along the way.