Wordless Wednesday

Weekly Photo Challenge: Earth

Most of my photos are of some aspect of nature. These two remain my favorites:

When I saw this week’s challenge, I also thought of a Sanskrit prayer that many children in India chant before they get up in the morning, prior to their feet touching the ground. Here is the English translation:

O! Mother Earth

who has the ocean as clothes

and mountains and forests on her body

who is the wife of Lord Vishnu.

I bow to you.

Please forgive me for touching you with my feet.

May we all develop such devotion and humility.

Written for Weekly Photo Challenge: Earth

With New Eyes

Every time I walk a block or two from my house, I see things I haven’t seen before. That could be because I haven’t noticed it in the past, or because it has reached another phase of its life cycle.

Intricate Beauty

When I first saw these flowers in the nursery, their beauty stunned me. I discovered they were called Blue and White Columbine (Aquilegia). There were only a few blossoms on the plant when I purchased it, but within the week it was full of flowers.

Seeing the Potential of Things to Come

I have long desired to clean up and beautify my back yard. I decided this was the year that was going to happen. The transformation has been an interesting process. It is as if my eyes opened to the potential of one space at a time. As I was finishing one area, ideas for another section “came.”

I desired to use the natural beauty that was already present as much as possible. That was much easier to do than I expected.

I also wanted to create beauty in areas that were fairly grim.

There are still plenty more areas that need my attention.

Most of what has already been accomplished was done within ten days time. I wonder what my backyard will look like by the end of April!

I give thanks to my friend Saroja, an experienced gardener, for sharing her ideas with me. She also went with me to a nursery to help me choose some of the plants. I also give thanks to my friend Ramana who is doing the hard labor that it is taking to make this transformation. I feel blessed to have their help.

Written for Weekly Photo Challenge: Future

Wow!

Early in February, I came across a bush a block away from my home that I found intriguing.

I returned to that bush several times over the next month and was surprised to see that it hadn’t changed.

Today, when I was walking outside, I was struck by the sight of a bush ahead of me. I wondered why I had never seen it before. Then I realized it was the same plant that I had found so intriguing. But it had REALLY changed. This is what I saw:

Wow!

And extra WOW!

As soon as I returned home, I called my local nursery to order a Ceanothus “Dark Star” shrub!

Endless Beauty

Every year, I am awestruck by the beauty that surrounds me. Some views I marvel over each year. Other sights have been in front of me for years and I have never noticed them. For me, the glory of nature feels ever-new. (Click galleries to enlarge pictures.)

A block from my house:

Looking down my block:

In my front yard:

Looking across the street:

A closer view of my neighbor’s tree:

Seeing What Is

In 1973, when Al and I bought the house I still live in, the yard was beautiful. An elderly couple had lived there for more than 40 years. It was obvious that much of their time had been devoted to taking care of the grounds. Because of divorce, child-rearing, working, going to school, etc. it was impossible for me to do all the work that was necessary to maintain the yard and the landscaping disintegrated. I yearned to have the property be beautiful again.

One day, I was standing with a friend in my back yard bemoaning the disarray. She said “Karuna, just look around you.” That was probably 15 years ago, so the trees are taller now, but what I saw when I looked around that day was similar to these photos I took yesterday. (You can enlarge the pictures by clicking on the galleries.)

The view was stunning. I realized that by putting my focus on what I didn’t like, I had become blind to the beauty that surrounded me.

Last year, I discovered another situation where I was not seeing something that was in front of me. The tree in the photos below is so close to my top deck that some of the branches actually touch it. The tree’s budding and blooming process is fascinating. How could I not have noticed it before?

(Note: To see the whole tree go to Branches Reach for the Sky.)

Have you ever not seen something that was directly in front of you because you were so focused on something else? I believe that experience takes many different forms, whether it be like the examples I’ve shared in this post, or a lost item showing up in a place we’ve looked for it many times. It could even be not seeing how lovable and capable we are or how much other people care about us because we are focused on traumas from the past or fear of the future.

Consider sharing ways you have not seen what is in front of you in the comment section below or in one of your own posts!