I was watering outside last night. I have a lot of cuttings from my turk’s cap and jasmine so I’ve begun a new hedge for privacy from the street.  A line of loquat saplings I’d transplanted last year are loving the rain, and the bamboo is growing like crazy. I’ve been giving all the plants a lot of water, and everything was in bloom, some for the first time in a year.  The scent of jasmine and honeysuckle is intoxicating. Last year, I pruned down my leggy flowering plants so they would grow more dense this year.  That left me with a few seasons of them looking bare, but the reward was so worth it as they began to bloom again, fuller than before.  I think how often I do that in my life: be willing to prune something now, to do without now in order to have a more expanded experience later. Sometimes it backfires and I can find myself waiting for something that never comes to pass.  Even that is a blessing, as it lets me reflect on the hidden blessing of what others might call wasted time and effort.  Time and effort is never wasted.  Mine was a powerful investment in soul work that I could not have done alone.  I honor and thank my soul partner, in that I am forever grateful. You are not always fed in return by the hand you feed, and no one owes us anything.  Our rewards can come from anyone, anywhere. There are always more opportunities if you believe there are.  I believe there are.  I find them and I water them well and they will be delighted to bloom for me.