I Quit

[Calnicky]

This thread allowed me some good introspection. Thanks!

I started with bonsai when we had our first baby. I didn’t realize how sentimental I was about my plants

I love being able to share the trees and garden with my daughter.

Looking forward to sharing my trees with my granddaughter in a few years. But she's only 8 months old and a grabber, so she's not going anywhere near the trees for a while.

 

[Maiden69]

If you want to see pics of his trees all you have to do is look at this profile and search for his threads. A few starters...

I think a lot of people (including me) enter into the hobby thinking it is all easy. Grow a tree on a pot, what can be so hard about it? Until you get hit smacked in the face by mother nature or carelessness and lose a few trees. Then reality hits and one realize it is not that easy. There are two choices, either carry on and be more careful, learn by your mistakes. Or, as he is doing, quit while you still have some sanity and money left in your bank account.

 

[TrevorLarsen]

@TrevorLarsen , you are brand spanking new to this community, so you might be forgiven for not understanding what it means to some of us.
@one_bonsai has been here a few years, and in that time made friends and been an active participant in EVERYTHING that goes on here, not just bonsai. If he wishes to make a discussion of leaving bonsai behind, as well as how and why some of us might reach that conclusion, he's damn well earned the right.

You, on the other hand, are already heading down the troll ban trail, so you might pull up a second and reevaluate.
This ain't Reddit.
We're civilized here.

 

[TrevorLarsen]

Okay that did sound bad rereading I am certainly in the fault. You are right to let me know so thank you for doing that. I will for sure improve in the future and try to never come off as poorly as I did. I apologize.

 

[ShadyStump]

Okay that did sound bad rereading I am certainly in the fault. You are right to let me know so thank you for doing that. I will for sure improve in the future and try to never come off as poorly as I did. I apologize.

No problem. Everything about bonsai - even the culture of certain communities - happens on steep learning curve.
I think I might've come off a bit harsh myself there. Sorry about that.

 

[Carol 83]

I ...did...downsize when my wife died.

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Baku1875]

Still a pouty thread. Deleted the pictures? Who hurt you bro?

I just wanna see the trees. Too much mystery wrapped up in an open ended concept of quitting and negativity.
I respect the quitting part, but I'm sure that there was SOME positive memories for OP in bonsai as a hobby? It wasn't just all pure misery and responsibility anxiety? What's truly deep is when a tree has a story, and when that story means something to you and others. The hobby isn't just about making 'world class trees' and showing off.

A few weeks after my grandma passed away last year (June 6), I repotted my bigger bucida spinosa, and I managed to get my dad and my grandpa to get involved because they needed something to do. (here's the thread) https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/bucida-spinosa-repotting-and-new-pedestal.56198/

The three of us were chopsticking (my grandpa is 100 now) under an umbrella around a patio table in my backyard and it was pouring rain. My dad hadn't done bonsai work for years, but we got into it and it helped take our minds off the loss and do something as a team. The tree is doing really well this year, and as long as I can keep it alive and do something interesting with it, it will be a symbol of coping and coming together for my family, and that's good.

That's what makes bonsai special for me. If the tree dies, I have the pics and they will remind me of a positive bonding experience after a loss. It has a story, and when I take care of it, I remember the story and my loved ones.

Regardless, much of what we do in life and how we handle it is about perspective. The story behind a piece of music, or a bonsai tree, or a painting, or a recipe is what makes these things special IMO. It would be sad for OP to walk away from bonsai without any positive sentimental memories of his trees or the experiences with the trees.

 

[one_bonsai]

I have to wonder if the OP lost a favorite tree, which can be disheartening

I didn't loose a tree

 

[one_bonsai]

@one_bonsai has been here a few years, and in that time made friends and been an active participant in EVERYTHING that goes on here, not just bonsai. If he wishes to make a discussion of leaving bonsai behind, as well as how and why some of us might reach that conclusion, he's damn well earned the right.

Thank you. I appreciate it

 

[one_bonsai]

This is a bit suspect though.

Photos that I want to keep I transfer to my computer anything else I delete straight away so that I don't end up with hundreds of photos on my phone

 

[one_bonsai]

Deleted the pictures? Who hurt you bro?

Not sure what you mean by this. Don't people delete pictures from their phone when they don't need them?

 

[one_bonsai]

I just wanna see the trees.

Like I've said previously, the photos were deleted from my phone as I don't need them anymore.

Too much mystery wrapped up in an open ended concept of quitting and negativity.

There's no mystery. I did bonsai, it became a burden and so I decided to leave because it became a burden for me.

 

[Deano]

@one_bonsai, l totally get it, been in and out of the hobby myself 3 times since I first started 35 years ago (currently out). Sometimes you just need to simplify your life and enjoy other things, nothing wrong with that. Good luck on your new endeavors.... and you can always come back to the dark side.
Damn, now I want to go buy a tree.
Just kidding.

 

[We're all Mad Here...🎩]

Don't have kids. They too need watering, fertilization and patience.

 

[one_bonsai]

...this post seems to be a bit of a vendetta or backlash against bonsai.
I cant see any other reason to make such a post in the tone it was made.

The reason for the post was to have a discussion about how Bonsai can become a burden. Most of us would of worried at some stage about the weather, pests and diseases, dying trees, lack of time, being away from home for a while etc. I just wanted people to know that there is a life after bonsai where the mind is free. Just something for people to keep in the back of their mind in case they reach the same situation, that's all.

 

[ShadyStump]

I think @one_bonsai has made a valid and respectable point.
Some of us on BNut tend to let ourselves get so involved in trees it's blatantly obsessive, or at least that's the feeling, likely because it is a site for that purpose after all.

People come and go, as do trees. For some it's a lifestyle, others a hobby, and then some of us realize we have other priorities and move on.
It's a perfectly reasonable conversation to have. Brings some perspective.

 

[We're all Mad Here...🎩]

Thank you, and...end of discussion!?

 

[Shogun610]

There is plenty of life with bonsai too just another branch on my tree of life and it’s a lifestyle just like snowboarding , surfing , and art is for me too, I’d be bored as hell without my friends , dog , family , hustles outside of my job even when its not fun … Life happens , bonsai happens , just takes dedication and hard work like with many endeavors in life, you just gotta want it. Bonsai is in many ways a metaphor for lives too outside of bonsai, sharing the struggle and success with friends and family , birth , death , redemption, triumph, struggle etc. I wish you luck . Now for the rest of us let’s get back to trees thanks.

 

[We're all Mad Here...🎩]

I think @one_bonsai has made a valid and respectable point.
Some of us on BNut tend to let ourselves get so involved in trees it's blatantly obsessive, or at least that's the feeling, likely because it is a site for that purpose after all.

People come and go, as do trees. For some it's a lifestyle, others a hobby, and then some of us realize we have other priorities and move on.
It's a perfectly reasonable conversation to have. Brings some perspective.

Agreed. I appreciate OPs take on it. It would be nice if people could absorb their statement, internalize it, and press on. But, that's just me...not trying to speak for everybody.

 

[Shogun610]

I only have hobbies long-term that challenge me. Hence why I have a reef tank and bonsai. Two bottomless pits for my bank account. Lol.

I first thought I read beef tank and I now want a tomahawk steak Saturday