I’ve never felt physically rooted anywhere. I’ve moved several times throughout my life and having been raised by immigrant parents, our notion of “home” was always oceans away. My experience of un-rootedness makes me particularly interested in understanding the world underground. Plants are perpetually connected to one another. Even when a plant is ripped up and its roots die underground, the decomposed material lends nutrients to the other plants nearby. In this way, the plant is never really gone, it just becomes a part of another life. Even when I move or feel unrooted, it helps me to think of myself like a plant. The memory of me will always be there. Whether it’s through a friendship I made or a compliment I gave someone on the street, in some small way I’ve become a part of their life. My influence is like a root that has the potential to help others grow. Thinking of people like plants makes me more aware of how my actions and words affect the people around me. No matter how minute the interaction, we are all constantly embedding ourselves in one another, imprinting ideas and words that have the potential to destroy or empower. I try to make sure that wherever I go, I leave behind healthy roots that help the people around me grow.