I found a brown bag outside after our move. "Grass Seed." it said in big letters. My husband and I 1 the seeds all over the dirty yard in front of our new house. "I have no idea if they will 2 ," I told him, "but it's worth a shot." Just like our 3 to move to the rural Arizona.
Near our new house sat a charming cottage, which was 4 to tourists. I got a job offer to 5 the cottage. I'd worked in hotels for years, so when offered the 6 , I jumped at it. Still, it was a big change. I 7 that it would be a right move.
While we waited for our grass to grow — or not — we 8 settled into our new house through our efforts. We made it a cozy home, despite the 9 in the front yard, which was still bare now. Meanwhile, many of the cottage guests became 10 , and I got to know them well. I felt 11 to make their stays memorable. Perhaps I was better at that than 12 .
But after a monsoon (季风) swept through, I woke up to a beautiful morning and looked out the window. There was no grass growing in the sunlight. 13 , our yard was covered in a rainbow of zinnias (百日菊)! The front yard turned out even better than I could have 14 , just like our new life. And it remains a powerful 15 of the beauty that awaits us in our new chapter.