Life sometimes throws up challenging moments and last week was one such time for me. There was a death in the family and the emotions around that for all concerned boiled over, as usually happens, and it turned the week into a stressful and pretty hectic one which culminated with the funeral on Friday.
I had to travel for the funeral, a three and a half hour drive north and back for a total of seven hours in the car with the funeral and post-funeral wake in between. I got it done of course, but was feeling decidedly drained after it all.
With this in mind, I have planned a relaxing weekend which began yesterday with a sleep in to 0700 rather than the 0500 wake-ups I've been having for the last several months which was well-needed, and a morning spent at the gun range shooting my handguns and chatting with some of the guys and girls.
On the way home I grabbed a burger from my local family-owned and operated burger joint, which I ate in the alfresco area watching the world go by, before buying few supplies at the supermarket and heading home. Once there I felt the need to be in my garden as it's a place I feel relaxed and at peace. I drank a coffee out there and then, because it was a very still day, grabbed my camera to take a few macro shots, some of which you can see in this post.
I focused mainly on a big pot holding two different types of daisies. It was cool because there were some open, some just beginning to open and some just starting their journey. The one below shows one of the opening flowers and I think it's cool as I caught a spiderweb which was lit up by the sunlight. The following shots show the opening process of the flowers.
I really needed the time to relax and spend in my garden yesterday. It doesn't mean the stresses of life are removed completely, but it balances them out a little, fills a person with something a little nicer for a time and helps create some detachment from one's problems, complications and the complexities that life brings. My garden didn't rescue me, I don't need rescuing, but it helped me gain some perspective through quiet moments and pleasurable surroundings
What do you do to find peaceful moments and a little detachment from the complexities of life? Is it something you even look for? Do you go out somewhere or find those moments at home? Is nature involved? Feel free to comment below, or just comment in general should you feel inclined.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default; tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind - galenkp
[All original and proudly AI free.]
Every image in this post is my own.
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III was used to capture these images.
I love all the macros you did on the flowers, the blooms are so alive! It's nice to know you do gardening too.
After my husband passed recently, I am trying to improve my health issues that I suffered after the tragic event. I go out most of the time to relieve me from those depressing moments and nature helps me a lot. I am sorry for your loss, sending my condolences.
I'm sorry for your recent loss but glad to hear you're working towards a healthier you. I wrote a post yesterday about choices in that respect, food and exercise and healthy or fast food. It just makes sense to take a little more care of ourselves although many wait for a momentous health-event to get started.
Nature is a healer and does so without even trying really, or so I find it. Depression, loneliness, despondency...whatever it is, there's a moment found in nature that can help reduce the feeling or mitigate the risk of it accelerating. This is what I find anyway.
Thanks for your kind message and I wish you all the best in your journey; feel free to drop in and let me know how you are ok?
Dear @gelenkp,
Thank you for a wonderful reply. I am slowly recovering from the shock. All happened 8 months ago, the first three months had been crucial. I lost 10 kilos in the first 10 horriying days and it went on and on until I lost 18 kilos. With the help of medications from my Neurologist, I have now settled a bit and am moving on. I walk almost everyday and make myself busy and instead of using a car, I walk to make errands to buy groceries and the like. Nature is absolutely a healing to us, many people underestimate the power of our surroundings. I´m glad that the National Park is just around the corner... it´s a great place to meditate and its serenity is simply amazing.
I wish you the best for all your undertakings, you are an inspiration to many of us Hivers!
Have a lovely Sunday and a great new week coming up.
@mers
I can only imagine the difficulties you had at the time and in the subsequent months; it'll probably never fully heal I guess, but you'll get a little better as time passes. I often say that those we have lost aren't where they once were, instead, they are everywhere we go as we carry them in our hearts and memories. It's a nice thought.
I get the impression you're doing your best to push on and that's admirable, and quite important of course. You'll have bad times for sure, but hopefully they begin to diminish. Enjoy nature and the life you have, I think that's what those who pass over would want for us.
Thanks for your kind words, it was very nice of you.
Yes I have to go on with my life, I am not hopeless yet with my situation. Many thanks too for your understanding. :-))
You're welcome and all the best moving forward.
Thank you too! I will try my best.
Again, you and the fmaily are in my thoughts and havemy condolemces. Nice shots of the flowers. We were lucky enough today that the rain didn;t stick aroundlong and the wife was able to get some flowers planted and I helped her put a new larger plant in place in front of our house.
I usually like to lose myself in a book or movie these days to escape from the complexities of life. However my favorite activity when I feel healthy enough is to go fishing. So yes, I look for it and sometimes nature is involveed.
Thanks sir, I appreciate that.
Gardening is great right? I mean doing it and just being out there in it. Books too, movies and all. Fishing, well I get that, many find solace there. I'm terrible at it though and tend not to be able to sustain it for long. I could feed myself in a survival scenario of course, I made sure of that, but as a leisure activity I can't do it. I think though, that it comes down to the company when fishing, for me certainly; the right people/person and the whole thing is transformed. I have all the gear and actually use it from time to time, but I'm behind a gun most often.
Honestly, I am not much of a gardener, the wife is the gardener in our house.
The right company for fishing is what makes or breaks an enjoyable time for sure. Sometimes I like to just be by myself though and throw a line in the water and sit.
If I fish with you, I'll remember to keep my mouth shut. Lol.
nah, I like conversation when I fish with someone.
Yay, me too...that's why I go fishing really...it's certainly not to catch fish...that happens by chance.
Nature is the easiest place for me to achieve peace, yes. But with practice, I can now do it almost anywhere. It's very useful.
I love knowing you are a flower guy.
Condolences.
Nature is wondrous and a constant source of happiness and enjoyment for me. Flowers included. I feel more comfortable with nature than I do some people. I know you understand.
Thanks for your kind thoughts, I appreciate it.
I am so sorry for the loss of your family member @galenkp. There will never be words that will not bring the comfort needed but it is a good idea to surround yourself with nature. I also find peace in it and being alone.
Thank you, I appreciate that. Life heads in only only one direction and we all know where it leads. This is why I put so much effort into my best-life situation and I succeed in that a lot. Of course, that won't change where I end up, dead, but it means my journey will be a better one. The family member had that for themselves, a great journey, and lived a good life. That's what we'll all remember, their journey, not their end.
I'm glad you are aware of that and remember the best moments of his life.
As for the images they are beautiful as always
Thanks for your comments on my images.
If I catch someone out using my images without my express permission I'll be very brutal with them in response, I am that way inclined, good at it and unapologetic. However, if you want to use one on your phone screensaver that's ok though, as long as it's not used anywhere else and you credit me with the photography. I would never use someone's property without asking first, and expect the same courtesy in return. Which one will you use?
They are all beautiful but the last one melts me 😍 that intense color.
Great choice!
😍
I don't need to be rescued either, but it helps to have those moments with nature.
I love the second, the fourth and the last picture, well all of them hahaha.
What do I do to find moments of peace? Designing, if I'm at home. But I prefer to walk along the beach or go far away where there are no people or cars, in nature I recharge my energy and my mind clears.
I also love walking while listening to instrumental music. And on the other hand I have too much imagination, it takes me to many places.
Thank you @galenkp ❤️
I think we do some of the same things to find peaceful moments; If it's not broken why fix it right?
Totally agree!😂
One thing I forgot, it relaxes me a lot to be with my two cats, I love them! Catalina and Tony, they are 10 years old and I adore them!
Very nice break!
I love cats too and would be lost without my Cleo, she brings me so much happiness.
And when will there be photos of her? I want to see her!
I'll search and search until I find her hahahaha
I'll upload some of mine.... I'll give you a scoop, I bought a camera... I have to learn how to use it!
I see you've found one of my posts of Cleo. I added a couple shots for you.
Also, for sure, do a cat post!
Catalina is a black Siamese, my panther, my personal queen. And Tony is grey, pure love. I don't know what I do without them. I brought them all the way from Argentina. I was not going to leave my children there.
Thank you for those beautiful pictures... the eyes are the window to the soul!
Your flower macro shots are already healing to look at sir. I see why you needed time in your garden.
In my case, I hike and walk with nature to heal or to lessen the heavy emotions I am feeling.
My condolences to the whole family.🙏
Thanks for your kind words and I hope you managed to find some time for yourself this weekend. All the best for the week ahead.
Sending you positive thoughts, you are definitely due for a good weekend, and an easy upcoming week.
I tend to find peace in nature too, especially if there's any animals around, even a squirrel or two.
Thanks wrestlingdesires, I appreciate it.
Squirrels...everyone loves squirrels. Funny little things.
Yeah, they're actually a lot smarter than most people give them credit for...
Sorry to hear about the death in the family. My condolences. 7 hours driving....ugh. After the stress of the death and car drive, it's nice that you could have a relaxing start to the weekend afterwards.
Contemplating the flowers sounds like a great exercise in mindfulness. I sometimes do that. Nature always amazes me when I think things. How these little grains of pollen can come off and grow into entirely new flowers and plants.
I find peaceful moments in the same kinds of things. Whether it is in my 20 minutes of Zen meditation daily or in some kind of other mindful practice. Anything we do deliberately can be a mindful practice. I get a lot of peace from cleaning my fountain pens slowly and quietly, for one.
Thanks mate, I'm rather pragmatic about death generally, but it still affects me of course. The drive was a bit of a killer although long distances in Australia are taken in our stride as everywhere is a long way off.
The nature thing, yep it's awesome right? The only frustration is that the bloody bees wouldn't keep still for my shots so I gave up. Bees will be bees.
Yes indeed. I find it is so and that's one of the reasons I like making ammunition...it's relaxing and meditative in the same way actual meditation is, weeding, cleaning fountain pens, building Lego etc.
Such is life sometimes everything will seems fine and sometimes everything will feel somehow and to top it up when one of the family decided to leave the world everything will look like it is about to end.
I know you will get over it but it is just the matter of time.
What I do when am in this kind of situation is listening to music, I would have preferred to listen to it inside my own garden too but I don't have one.
So I will just be on my bed with my headphone 🎧 listening to some heart warming songs.
Be good ok because life is too short to keep bad mood for long. 🫂
And may the person's soul rest in peace 🕊️
Yep, we'll all die eventually, you and everyone you know included.
Music is a nice comfort in most situations and it's something we all generally have the ability to turn to.
Thanks for your kind message.
Sure I will definitely die someday but I just hope not anytime soon
You are always welcome 🤗
Good on you, you have a very good perspective and a clear understanding of your own inner workings and know what to do, when it is necessary. Many would just plough on moaning about it, but not taken the time to momentarily unwind like you did. This quite reflective time gives you a chance to unpack everything too and work through it or maybe it just gives you time to not think at all and just immerse in nature. Either is good... I am not great at taking this type of time especially alone, I have a tendency to want to be around people a lot. I do love to immerse myself in nature though, whether walking the dogs, hiking, playing golf, surfing (jesus, have not done that in ages, must work on changing that!)
The macro shots are class by the way, love how you can see the pollen in some of them..
Hey mate, thanks for your comment.
I've been working around issues and stuff for a lot of years and decided early on to put some effort into dealing with things rather than whinging about them but doing nothing to rectify them. To do so, I need to put myself into the right place and that's what I did here; the garden and the photography. It never makes the problems go away, just helps get me into a position to find perspective, answer my own questions, make decisions and plans depending on what's required. I believe a person should be able to do that by themselves, make decisions for themselves, so that they are more likely to own them.
We all do it in different ways I guess, and I don't just sit around in nature waiting for shit to happen, I make it happen, but finding some detachment from the situation at hand leads to a better path forward.
Thanks for the nice comments on the images...now go organise a fucken surfing or golf day! Lol.
I have always learnt to spend my time all alone. With that, I will experience a very peaceful moment. I'm used to staying alone and it means peace to me
Being alone is great, if it works for you then keep doing it.
I use music, it helps me escape.
And Lovely pictures.
Sorry for your loss
Music and pictures are a nice way to find some peace of mind. Thanks for your comment and thoughts.
I grab my cameras and explore the garden for macro opertunities , best meditation there is you need to focus real good and by doing that everything else goes away.
Love your macro shots
It's surely a good way to take one's mind off other things and clearly I do the same. It's fun right?
it sure is a speccially in the early mornings when the insects are still cold and everything outside is still nice and quiet.
Condolences for your loss :< [hugs] glad you got some much needed downtime. And some lovely macro shots.
Thanks Ry, I appreciate it. It's nice to know people still know how to show some care in a world that moves in the opposite direction. 🌷
My sincerest condolences, but I am glad you found a way to relax through finding a quiet place. And thank you for these beautiful shots of the daisies, truly beautiful!
Thanks for your thoughtfulness, I appreciate it.
Beautiful Macro 👌
Thanks, I appreciate the comment.
You’re welcome!
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