Don't Fret

by Cathy 

May can be such a tease here in the Pacific Northwest. It is one of our most beautiful months but also one of our hardest weather wise.  Everything is blooming, even the neglected vacant lots. The rhododendrons and azaleas are in full bloom and you will find one in just about everyone’s yard, even people who don’t garden. Their colors are breathtaking this year, but I am pretty sure I said the very same thing last year. 

 Rhubarb and chives are ready in our gardens and if the sun is out so are we. There is this huge pressure to take advantage of every sunny day we might have, because it can change on a dime.  And when it changes it might be weeks before the sun and blue sky are back. One day we are all wearing short-sleeves and sandals and the next day we are back in our closets digging out our gore tex, and listening for flood warnings on the radio. But honestly, there is no place more beautiful. We have it all; the mountains, the ocean, rivers, a beautiful city and green… lots of green, in every shade imaginable. 

My photo stream on flickr and my personal blog is overflowing right now with flower photos; and while I am determined almost every day to get out there and shoot something else, it is hard to ignore the beauty which is unfolding around me. So I give in and turn my lens on every flower from every angle and in all different types of light. 

It dawned on me this morning, as I was out with the dog, that this is really not something I should fret about. What I should worry about is if there comes a time when I stop looking. 

If one year I don’t take notice of the bright pink of my neighbor’s huge rhodie or the wonderful snowball tree in our yard, then I need to fret and worry. If I don’t bother to reach out and admire the first rose to bloom in the garden, or feel the need to capture all the different shades of green, then I should be worried.  

But not now, now I need not fret; for noticing nature and her beauty can never be wrong or boring.  And the idea that this rhythm and beauty of the seasons is new each and every year is truly astounding to me. You would think as I look towards 60 years around the sun, it would be old hat by now, but it is not and for that I am grateful.

So for this fussy month of May excuse all my flower shots, I can't help it. It seems the world is all new and full of wonder again. 

"The world's favorite season is the spring, 

All things seem possible in May." 

~ Edwin Way Teale 

Have a grand weekend ~ xoxo