WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS? OUR MINDS SOMETIMES TRICK US IN TO SEEING SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT REALLY EXISTS. THIS IS WHERE A BRANCH USED TO BE LOCATED ON A MADRONE TREE. IT IS THE TREE TRYING TO HEAL ITSELF.
MUSHROOMS PUSHING UP THROUGH OAK LEAVES.
WHAT A DESIRE THEY HAVE TO PUSH THROUGH ALL THE DEBRIS AND SURVIVE! CAN WE, AS HUMANS, PUSH THROUGH THE DEBRIS IN OUR LIVES AND REACH FOR THE STARS? IS IT CHOICE OR SHEER DESIRE TO LIVE THAT URGES US FORWARD?
FOOD FOR BIRDS DURING A DORMANT WINTER.
SOMETIMES ONE BERRY CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD TO SURVIVAL. ONE BERRY, ONE DROP OF WATER, ONE KERNEL OF CORN, ONE PROMISE OF FREEDOM, ONE HAND REACHING OUT AND OFFERING HELP, OFFERING FORGIVENESS, OFFERING LOVE...
NATURE IS TEAMING WITH LIFE AT THE MOST MINUTE LEVEL. WHAT WE CONSIDER FUNGUS TURNS OUT TO BE SUSTENANCE FOR WHAT OUR EYES CANNOT BEHOLD. LICHENS, MOSS, ROTTING LEAVES, BERRIES THAT HAVE FALLEN OFF TREES, MOLD...ALL PART OF THIS ECOSYSTEM.
SOMETIMES WE NEED TO STEP BACK AND LOOK AT WHAT WE THINK ARE THE MOST INSIGNIFICANT THINGS IN LIFE. WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US FOR SURVIVAL IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO OUR NEIGHBOR FOR SURVIVAL. WE NEED TO RESPECT OTHER'S CHOICES, ACKNOWLEDGE EACH OTHER'S WEAKNESSES, APPRECIATE EACH OTHER FOR THE PART THAT THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THIS LIFE, THIS EARTH.
SOMETIMES WHAT APPEARS AS A WOUND TO ONE PERSON TURNS OUT TO BE SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TO ANOTHER.
IT IS ALL IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER.
PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING.
LOOK AT YOUR BELIEFS ABOUT WHAT YOU HOLD TRUE AND CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO SEE IT FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S EYES. THEY JUST MIGHT NEED YOUR WISDOM IN FINDING THE TRUTH.
What great metaphors for life-- the ups and downs of our lives can be survival for smaller creatures and plants in nature-- puts everything in perspective.
ReplyDeletenice...these are the fruits of a beautiful nature scavenger hunt...
ReplyDeleteGreat macros, congrats!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to push through the debris...there's so much of it...
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting photo that first one is. I would not have guessed what it was.
ReplyDeleteThe mushroom and the oak leaves is a lovely picture and the analogy to..."CAN WE, AS HUMANS, PUSH THROUGH THE DEBRIS IN OUR LIVES AND REACH FOR THE STARS?"....this is wonderful.
This was a very interesting post. It's rare that most people look at nature this way. Thanks for the close up.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful post Teri...so full of life just like you. You've really said some amazing things here. I think compassion is lacking in our world right now...the ability to walk in the shoes of another and see through their eyes. I recently was listening to a Ted.com talk about 12 steps to compassion and found it amazing that at this time it's something that's hard to find and not being taught to our young ones any longer at home.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are wonderful...and your words are even more wonderful. Keep up the good words...you are changing the world one post at a time for the better.
Hope your daughter and her blossoming belly are doing fine...we almost lost ours...but she is doing fine now. Looking forward to her March delivery and getting this part over with.