Friends are a whole lotta trouble...

Friends can be though to handle. I love mine, don't get me wrong, but friends are one hell of a load of homework. Friends are like plants, if you don't water them regularly and get them in the sunlight, you can forget 'em. Of course there are some that need more care than others, and some that you can virtually forget about, but the average friend needs the attention you give to your average houseplant (I was gonna write pot plant, but that might leave the wrong impression).

You have to contact a friend regularly, to see how he/she is doing. You can easily compare that with looking at your plants to see if any of them need special care. If one of your friends needs special care, you'll probably agree to do something together, ranging from the odd coffee to a trip. Compared with plants it's something ranging from a bit of water to a repotting.
Occasionally one of your plants will be sick, and either you don't care too much about your plants because you have many, better than this one, too, so you'll dispose of it, or you'll try to care for it better so it heals. Compare it to a strained friendship you entertain with someone. Either it's worth the while to make it better, or it's not. And don't give me the crap about it always being better to try to save a friendship, because that is just not true. Some friends you better get rid of, no matter how much it hurts to do so.
There are plants you just shouldn't try to save, even if they were your dead brother's gift. After all, it's just a gift, it's not your brother.

Losing a friend is hard, because it leads to questioning yourself about what the fuck you did wrong. In some cases it's fairly easy; you just didn't give 'em enough water, sorry, you didn't hang around with them enough. In other cases it's simply because the other screwed up, or because the relationship hit a wall and crumbled. Sometimes the plant they give or sell you is simply worth nothing, doomed from the beginning. Sometimes you're simply not responsible enough to care for fragile plants. Sometimes you'll have bad luck and bugs will come eat your plant. Once it's too late there's not really something you can do.

You have two, perhaps three types of plant owners. First the ones who have few and care for them very well. Then the ones who have many but have made plant caring a hobby, and care for them very well. And finally the ones who have some but can't handle them all. In the end they'll do like me and settle with orchids and cactuses, plants who need almost no care, but give little satisfaction (especially the cactuses).

I lost a friend, recently, or rather she lost me. Not that she even noticed, she's from the third category and she's got better than me.

Golly, I feel fucking lonely. Perhaps I should get me a few flowerpots with orchids. Pity they won't talk back.