Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Nature Lessons

by Leigh


One of these days I will talk about something other than flowers.  Oh who am I kidding...that's never going to happen!  I've come to the conclusion that the reason I like to photograph nature more than I do people is because I don't have to control, pose, bribe, prod nature.  When I'm outside I am an observer....walking along and listening to what nature is telling me....paying attention to what nature wants to show me.  I don't have to dress up  for it.  I don't have to talk out loud to it.  I can be myself with nature.


Maybe that's why I have such a strong connection to everything in the plant world.  The relationship we have appeals to my inner introvert.  I don't have to make small talk or fidget with my outfit.  There's no concern over what I'm wearing or if my hair looks ok.  Nature does not judge me and I do not judge it.  There is a mutual appreciation.


Nature is a teacher, a healer, a friend.  It's like Thoreau said, 


"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

"Living a deliberate life."  I love that.  And maybe that's what it's all about....living a mindfully rich life rather than a monetarily rich one.  In a true transcendentalist way, Thoreau believed strongly in the power of nature and living simply.  I believe that is a lesson that applies just as much now as it did for Thoreau in 1854.


"Look!  Look!  Look deep into nature and you will understand everything."

~Walt Whitman




3 comments:

Unknown said...

love this post.. I too love taking pictures of flowers... the colors, the shapes, playing with them in different light.

Cathy H. said...

Beautiful flowers! I don't take a lot of flower pictures, but I do love to take other nature images. Being outside and around nature is when I'm most content. And yes, there are a lot of lessons we can learn from nature!

terriporter said...

Oh, my, you are talking my language! There isn't much I love more than taking photos of flowers and your photos in this post are part of the reason why. Color, shape, detail, and did I say color? And unless it's a windy day, they sit still and pose for you and you can shoot to your heart's content. No two are ever quite the same and that's what keeps it interesting. :-)

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