It's amazing how much satisfaction you can get from simple honest work.  I've been working to improve the outside of my home and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  I think a large part of that is being able to see the effects of my labour in a tangible way.  Clearing off the back patio and pulling the weeds cost me a sunburn but I still feel a warm contentment when I look out my back windows and see how much better the yard is.  I'm looking forward to the day when I can set out the patio furniture, open a book and sit back and relax in a healthy, growing, clean yard.  Even more so to invite people over and be able to use that space as a gathering spot.  It's sort of the same as the enjoyment that I get from doing a thorough cleaning and reorganizing of my fish or lizard tanks - there's something to be said for clearing away the dust and making room for continued life and growth.

Human friendships are an interesting study in change and variables.  What seems at once solid and unmoveable is also liquid and capable of being evaporated.  What is it that holds some people together even when separated by great distances?  What is it that makes it so easy for others to change their connecting ties?  Definately food for thought.