I am one of those people who can never have enough plants. 

I go to the grocery store with my list.....but always swing by the plant section. You know - just in case they have a plant I don't have yet 😉

So when I was in DC for work, I just had to stop by the US Botanical Garden. I was planning on spending hours in there. I felt like a kid in a candy store! 

I entered the main floor, and could feel my stress melt away. My job is very stressful (chronically) so I needed a little recharge for my soul. 

It was humid inside, but not too bad. It's what I expected from a giant sized greenhouse. The tropical plants and meandering stream reminded me of Hawaii.

I was a little worried about the heat and humidity, but my lungs seemed to be okay. 

Did you know that heat and humidity can trigger an asthma attack? 

 Sigh. 

I noticed a 2nd floor in the greenhouse and couldn't resist a stroll through the tree tops. As I stepped off the elevator, I could feel a big difference in the temperature. And the humidity seemed much stronger on the 2nd floor. 

Hmmm

I was determined to look around. Some of the palm tree leaves were bigger than me! And there were stunning tropical flowers. 

But....I could feel my lungs getting tighter and tighter. 

Fine

I'll leave

I had made it to the other side of the garden and realized there wasn't an elevator on that side, only stairs. Uh oh! 

My knee was being cranky and I was wearing my knee brace. So I knew I couldn't go down the stairs. I would have to retrace my steps to get back to the other side to use the elevator. 

Stay calm. Stay calm. 

I passed an artist who had set up all of her supplies, including lunch. It looked like she was going to be there all day creating watercolors. 

As I passed her, I thought " Must be nice to do whatever you want to, whenever you want to. And not have to worry about asthma!"

Asthma has a habit of ruining wonderful days!

I made it down the elevator and outside, where I used a couple of puffs of albuterol for my cranky lungs.

Has anyone else had a tough time in a greenhouse or arboretum? Or had asthma ruin a wonderful day?