
Giving much and receiving little.
I have eight orchids, mostly Cattleyas. A few have put up with me for over a decade. They require little of me and receive even less. All must survive the annual Florida winter freeze and get tossed around the yard during the occasional hurricane. Seven of the eight are pot bound. The eighth is hanging for dear life on the side of its pot by a few tendril-like roots. A motley looking collection of orchids to be sure.
Yet, in spite of my neglect they give me the most spectacular blooms imaginable. Large, colorful, perfumed flowers. Sometimes twenty or more at a time. I think they do it to dazzle me and to shame me. On both counts they succeed! Don’t get me wrong. They can be temperamental, too. A whole year can pass with scarcely a bloom. That’s usually when I resolve to take better care of my motley collection. To re-pot more often, to fertilize regularly. Like most of my resolutions this one is short lived. Did I mention the orchid that’s barely clinging to its pot?
My orchids give me far more than they receive. And they seem content with that.