The last thing I did in London before leaving my keys in the flat and catching an Uber to the airport was to pull my shamrock out of the dirt it was planted in, chop off all the leaves, and hide the roots wrapped in wet cloths in my luggage. I wasn’t sure if it was okay to bring plants across the border, and I didn’t want them to get confiscated.

The roots made it unmolested to Seattle and I set about right away repotting them. I buried them just below the surface and set them aside figuring it would be a few weeks before I saw anything. But lo, only five days later I discovered one little leaf exploring its way into the world.

And by this morning—great Scott!—a whole thicket of leaves and even a few blooms were soaking up the springtime sun.

Near-dead to thriving in just two weeks. Not bad for a 40+ year-old plant that likes to pretend it’s delicate. Let’s hope our economy can do the same when this coronavirus is under control!