Question

the night - blooming cereus
\can you believe were finally here?\ said meredith.
\we only had to wait forty years,\ katherine replied. \im thrilled, too, mer.\
the pair had met in college. now in their sixties, they were on vacation together in tucson, arizona. they were excited to see each other, but the purpose of their trip was to catch sight of the night - blooming cereus, a flower that blooms only once a year at nighttime. theyd learned about it in a botany class in college, and they had always wanted to see it in person. a botanical garden in tucson had a specimen of the rare flower, which was supposed to bloom that week.
meredith and katherine spent the first two days of their trip sightseeing, hiking, and waiting for the big announcement. at last, the botanical garden sent an email update: \we are excited to announce that the cereus greggii (night - blooming cereus) will bloom this evening. be prepared for long waits to see the flower.\
when the two women arrived at the botanical garden, the line was already stretching around the block. they waited over an hour to glimpse the rare flower. they were hungry and tired—and meredith wished shed brought a sweater—but they were still excited.
finally, it was in sight. in person, the flower was even more magical than they had expected. barbed, pinkish - white petals ringed the puffy white central bloom. they snapped pictures to send to their families back home.
meredith and katherine wanted to see it again the next day, but by morning it had wilted.
\i cant believe how quickly it was over,\ katherine remarked.
\but how beautiful!\ meredith said. \and our memory of its bloom—and this trip—will last forever.\
which of the following best describes the main theme or lesson of the story?
the higher your expectations, the more likely something wont live up to them.
people are not meant to understand nature.
you often value an experience more when it is rare and short - lived.

Explanation:

The story shows Meredith and Katherine waited a long time (forty years in a sense as they had the desire since college) to see the rare night - blooming cereus. The flower was beautiful but short - lived (wilted by morning). Their memory of it (and the trip) will last forever. This implies that because the experience (seeing the rare flower) was rare and short - lived, they value it (the memory) more. The first option is wrong as the flower was more magical than expected. The second option is not supported as they did understand (appreciate) the nature of the flower.

Answer:

You often value an experience more when it is rare and short - lived.