While I was in college, my primary source of income came from babysitting and other work I did for wealthy families.  One family in particular was good at finding creative ways to put me to use.  For instance, I frequently folded their laundry, organized their storage space, wrapped their Christmas presents, and watered their house plants.

In the beginning, when I hadn’t been working for this family for very long, I was asked to water their house plants.  I was told where they were and how many there were.  So I went around the house carrying the watering can and watering all the plants.

When I got to the bathroom, I realized there was one more plant than I had been told.  One of the plants was an orchid in a fancy pot.  Not knowing anything about orchid care, I watered the plant, and to my surprise water poured back out of the pot!  I realized I probably wasn’t supposed to water that one, after all.

Sure enough, the next time I was asked to water the house plants, they specified, "But not the fake plants."  Oops.

If I had learned a little bit about how to care for house plants, that probably could have saved me from this embarrassment.  For instance, if I had known more about phalaenopsis orchid care or cattleya care, I might have been able to more easily recognize that the plant was merely a really good reproduction of a real orchid.