Measuring Pleasure

Some customers came up to me at the garden center today with a tropical hibiscus plant. “Are we just wasting our money to plant this on Cape Cod?” the man asked.

“Well, if you’re asking if this plant will survive the winter,” I replied, “the answer is no, they won’t live through cold weather. But if you’re asking if spending less than $20. for something you’ll enjoy for the next four to six weeks is worth the expense, I’d say absolutely yes.”

“Look at it this way,” I continued. “How much do you spend when you go out to eat for a meal that lasts about two hours? The cost of that plant is less than most restaurants charge for two glasses of wine, and you’ll get pleasure from those flowers until hard frost.”