Hummingbirds in Flight…..

Never get tired of these tiny, flying jewels! (L)’Hover,’ and (R)’Zoom’…..

Both shots, female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird.

Pretty Maids All In A Row….

Hollyhocks, an old-fashioned Summer staple once common in home gardens. Fragile as tissue paper, blooms as big as saucers. The seeds of this variety are said to have come from Monet’s garden. Truth or fiction? You decide….

Why I Focus On Flowers….

Let me enumerate some of the reasons:

‘The earth laughs in flowers.’ [Ralph Waldo Emerson]
Those who grow flowers partner with God, however you define Him
They’re pretty/colorful and brighten the landscape, or the home, if you bring them inside as cut flowers
They make people smile. Follow someone who delivers flowers for a day–they bring happiness wherever they go!
Flowers aren’t an indulgence–they’re nourish the senses and the spirit
They harm no one [taking allergies into account], including the environment, and provide sustenance for birds, bees, butterflies, and other insects
Anyone can enjoy them–your political affiliation[or lack thereof]doesn’t matter. Same goes for religion
They’re non-violent
No one ever started a war over flowers [although there was a War of the Roses]
There’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ color for flowers[and there shouldn’t be one for people, either, but that’s a separate issue]–you’ll find every color imaginable in the garden, happily growing side by side
There’s enough ugliness in the world

Today, I challenge you to think about what you focus on most. Is it positive? Negative? Does it need a bit of fine-tuning? To paraphrase a well-known quote, where your focus is, there your heart is also.

AWOL……

That’s me. Guilty, guilty, guilty. Sometimes, the best intentions are just that. Intentions. It takes follow-through if one wants to see positive results.

It’s interesting to note that in spite of all our modern conveniences–things our ancestors could only dream of–we still complain that there’s not enough time to get everything done. That’s where a little sloth comes in. I’m not advocating being consistently lazy here; it’s about setting priorities. No one can do everything, all of the time. We have to decide, each day, which things fall into the ‘must do’ category and do those first. When those are finished we look at the remainder in the same way. The important thing is that we leave room for recreation, for connecting with our loved ones. We should have a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day rather than feeling stressed out over what didn’t get done.

Slow down.

Breathe.

Take time to notice the good that surrounds you, the things you have to be grateful for (trust me, there’s more than you think!). Notice a new flower that’s opened. A bird in flight. A sunny day. The laughter of children. Find your peace amidst the chaos of everyday life.  This is the path to happiness.