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Dear ,
Not to infringe upon your experience of the textures and beauty in the flowers in today's Picture to Ponder featured photos, I'll get right to them. Their "story" follows, along with links to previous years' Wetlands Wild Iris photos.
Today's Photos - Photo Essay -
Tissue paper thin I feel
As the midday sunlight
Shines brightly through me
Onstage at cloudy dusk
My arms reach up as
Lit by flash
I pirouette in life celebration
Scattered raindrops refresh my soul
This way or that
I luxuriate in the feel
of my velvetlike skin
Though my lifespan and that of my sisters is short
We relish the time we have
The beauty we share
Honoring the Wetlands visitors who seek us out
As well as those who accidentally find us
Today's Photos' Story -
The bottom line story to the wild irises above, relates to the expectations, letdowns and then excited surprise upon discovering I was wrong! After that, there were interesting breakdowns around my camera, twice having memory card issues, generating, perhaps insuring, more trips to Wakodahathee.
The background to this is that each year at the end of February, beginning of March - the start time now imprinted for sure on my brain - Wild Irises bloom in Wakodahatchee Wetlands. They grow very close to the boardwalk, in the water below, not readily noticeable. Having missed them in 2010, and almost did in 2011 (links below for past years' issues), I specifically marked my calendar, with weekly reminders, to start looking for them in early February this year.
By the last weekend in February, with still no sign of them, the guard and I decided perhaps some chemical treatment of the area must have accidentally killed them off. Disappointed I forgot about them for the following week.
I had given up.
Then to my delight and surprise, after noticing a few scattered ones in Green Cay Wetlands on Friday evening, I raced to Wakodahatchee the next morning. Sure enough, the Wild Irises were back!
Not seeing many buds and several dying off already, I didn't want to miss anything more. So, I went back twice a day for three days, and have been going once daily since.
The final lessons for me are yet to be distilled. The biggest reward is the couple of hundred, or more, Iris photos I now have to captivate my senses any time throughout the year.
Self-Reflecting Queries -
Today I invite you to look at your life, at areas in which you like to make discoveries.
Are there things to which you look forward on a regular basis? What occurs for you if they don't happen, or you miss them for some reason?
How do you handle disappointment and unfulfilled expectations? Look at both happenings such as my "annual Irises" and also those that occur in your relationships with other people.
Are you able to easily accept whatever is, or do you make it mean something is wrong (such as "my chemicals killed them story") and then live in that?
Lastly are you ultimately able to find the positive in the experience? In the case of the 2012 Wild Irises, I did find them, and learn from that, experiencing far more than the flowers themselves. On the other hand, had I not, I still was ready to finally accept without making myself, or anyone, else wrong. How about you, in your life?
I'm still in awe of life's unexpected surprises and joys when we let got of our attachments as to how we think things should be.
I invite you to be open to surprise or two in the next few days. Treasure whatever it is.
As always, remember to have fun with the photos, story and queries. Please share your experience on the blog.
Other Wild Iris Photos, Stories and Queries - Links
In 2009 - PTP and Blog Post Wild Irises - Comparisons and Connections
and more Wild Iris Photos plus photo/drawings of New Jersey Irises
In 2010 - Not Paying Attention - Missing Out on Purple Tulips, Wild Irises and Life
In 2011 - Wild Irises - Focus, Intention and Play
Special Treat - Green Cay Wetlands video
Earlier this week, I was delighted to see a video post in the Wakodahatchee Wetlands and Green Cay Nature Preserve Facebook group I'm in. Jon-Mark Davey, South Florida Wildlife Photographer, shared his "Day in the Cay - Life is Art" video which he said we were welcome to pass on.
Knowing how often I feature photos here from Green Cay, I thought you would appreciate the chance to visit and experience "walking" there yourself. The video is just over 11 minutes in length, perfect for taking a restorative nature break.
As I'm watching it again, I'm reminded of smiling the other day, as I am now, at the baby stilts and then the busy Roseate Spoonbills ruffling there feathers. There is a whole lot more.
Enjoy. Thank you, Jon-Mark!
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Peace, Wonder, Joy and Love,
Inspirationally,
Sheila
sheila[a]picturetoponder.com
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