Bloom Where You’re Planted
A teacher saw a lesson in my photograph.
I was showcasing my photography at a fundraising event several years ago, where a lady bought a couple of my photographs. The one that you see above, and the one that follows.
I am always curious as to what they saw in my photos that attracted them. It makes for an interesting conversation, and I learn about various perspectives. Sometimes people see things I hadn’t, other times, it reminds them of something else, or have other meanings.
I asked her what she liked about these two photos. She said she was planning on putting them up in her classroom as a teaching aid. It intrigued me; what lesson can she teach? Well, you know the answer, it’s the title of this story.
As a photographer, I am always seeing things of beauty everywhere. Most photographers will tell you, they don’t take pictures; they are given to them as a gift from the Universe to share with the world. I know that is true for me.
My friend Bob Jasper read one of my stories, “Do you see what I see?”, and wrote a piece of his own, using his photographs.
One of his photos, that of cactus flowers, reminded me of my dessert blooms and the teacher who bought them. That thought led to this story. Everything in life is interconnected if we’re willing to open our minds and our eyes.
When we open our eyes and slow down to look at the world around us, we can find beauty everywhere.
Can you imagine a waterfall in the middle of a desert?
Last Christmas, I wrote a story that the Medium editors distributed in Creativity.
And a few Christmases before that, I was walking on Route 66 through the desert in Arizona when I came upon this beauty.
With a camera in our pocket, there is no reason why we cannot capture the beauty in our surroundings every day. You don’t have to be in nature to find beauty. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
What do you see in the world around you? Scroll through your phone’s camera and see what you can find to share with the world.
I will challenge Holly Jahangiri, Tom Byers, Paul Myers MBA, P.G. Barnett, Desiree Driesenaar, Charlene Fate, Charlotte Zobeir Ali, Terry Mansfield, Michele Thill, Sharon Hurley Hall, Amy Marley, Trista Ainsworth, Aurora Eliam, CMP and anyone else who is up to the challenge.
As always, thank you for reading and responding.
Rasheed Hooda is a published author and a regular contributor to ILLUMINATION, a writers’ community on Medium where writers support each other.
He is a self-proclaimed weirdo who lives a Freedom Lifestyle and writes about related topics — Travel (a top writer), Personal Growth, Freedom, and entrepreneurship. (Get the Newsletter)
More about me:
An interview by Dr. M Yildiz for ILLUMINATION
