A Path of Nature’s Beauty
Creating a Story Through Photography
Today I felt inspired to write a story about my daily garden walks by my friends here on Illumination Rasheed Hooda and Michele Thill.
The photo above is of an amazing heart shaped rock that I found in my garden a few days ago. It was a surprise! I had passed by that rock for months and didn’t notice it was shaped like a heart. It is naturally shaped that way. I was so delighted and stunned that I brought it out into the center of the garden so that I could see it more often as a reminder to always flow and create daily from my heart. My heart is the center of all things.
Rasheed Hooda started this writing prompt challenge with his amazing photography. He shared stories of flowers and scenes of nature that he has captured. I feel very honored to have been included on his list to take up this challenge. I have always loved taking photos, especially of nature. I am so inspired here by Rasheed’s story and his beautiful photos:
My friend Michele Thill also took up Rasheed’s challenge in her own amazing piece about the daily walks she takes in a local park. I love all of the profound life lessons she learned while on that walk that she shared with us:
Lately I have started a new routine. I rise early in the morning, do my guided meditation in our living room and then I head out to our garden to go for my morning walk. I love the stillness and the quiet. I love the opportunity to notice everything new in the garden today.
The daylily above is one of the first flowers that I see in the morning. I make sure to take off the old blooms each morning to await the new blooms. These flowers always bring lots of joy to my heart. Each morning they greet me with color and light. This flower represents the fact that each morning is new. It is a whole day for us to create. A whole new start.
Next, I come upon these amazing, bright red freesias. I love the amazingly bold color and light that they bring into the morning light. They represent the bold moves that we must all make on a daily basis. It reminds me of stepping out into the unknown, out of my comfort zone. Thank you freesia for making me bold each day!
The rose pictured above is from a special rose bush I planted to remember my grandma Marion. She had a rose very similar to this one in her front yard. She taught me how to take care of roses. She was a gentle, spiritual force in my world growing up. I was lucky enough that she and my grandpa lived with us in our home in a basement apartment. We could visit them daily and she would always have a kind word and encouragement for me. This rose’s emergence is like a visit from my grandma’s spirit every year. All spring and all summer she visits me, giving me kindness with a glimpse of each rose.
This year I see enormous abundance all around me! This apple tree in our garden has never had so many apples. They are everywhere! Nature teaches us about the unending abundance for all. There are abundant leaves, flowers, fruit, and vegetables in our garden, enough to share and to enjoy. There is always more than enough.
I love all of the trees in our garden, but this one has a special energy. I remember when I hugged this tree at the beginning of lockdown. I knew that the earth needed a rest. That is what I sensed from this tree. Nature needed to slow down. We needed to slow down. We needed to see the power of the present moment, to feel the energy of the earth, the trees, the grass the flowers, the fruit. I feel this energy each time I see and touch this beautiful tree.
The plant above is a pineapple plant that we have propagated from the top of a pineapple. We have named it Pineapple Joe. I recently planted it in a pot. This plant represents the need to constantly experiment and try things out in life. We never know what will happen. What don’t we try? What don’t we experiment? This pineapple is a fun experiment this summer to see what will happen. I love to watch and see it every day. I find joy in the little leaves emerging from the center of the plant.
The last photo in this story is a photo of some of the sticks I collected yesterday on my walk. This has become such a fun treasure hunt each and every day. These sticks show me the abundance of the world we live in. Every day I keep finding more and more. They help fuel the fires in our fire pit which brings us warmth and joy.
We are so grateful to have our garden during this time of spending more time at home. It brings us daily joy as we walk along the path, as we observe the flowers, experience the hope of fruit to come and feel the light of spirits all around us.
Thank you again to Rasheed Hooda for this challenge and for tagging me. Thank you Michele Thill for sharing your story and tagging me as well. I look forward to reading more from both of you on this amazing journey called life.
Trista Signe Ainsworth is a professional organizer with Joyful Minimalism. She helps working women clear the clutter, overwhelm and shame from their homes and lives so that they can truly live in joy.
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