One thing that’s become all too obvious to me is that not all bonsai improve over time. That reality is hard to swallow. Bonsai are living things that have a life course as well as a finite lifespan. They often begin as youngsters with lots of potential, move into awkward adolescence, and then hopefully with good guidance mature into refined adults, live a long and healthy life, and ultimately decline or die. That is the fate of all living things, bonsai included.