Tragedy in Smolensk

TO ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN POLAND,

TO ALL POLES, YOUNG AND OLD...

My sincere condolences and may you find the strength you now need in yourselves and in God..

Wieczny odpoczynek racz im dac Panie...

Mono No Aware (3)

If you follow my blog, you know that I have previously posted on the philosophy and esthetic of

Mono No Aware

...sometimes described as the "aaaahh-ness' of things", the concept celebrates the ephemeral, passing nature of all that surrounds us and the bitter-sweet feelings which accompany the realization that nothing is permanent.

I identify very closely with this philosophy. Observing flowers, and their faces as they morph over time, gives me a chance to experience the esthetic and the feelings which accompany it in an accelerated state - the several days which represent the life-span of a cut flower...

 

I must admit that I have always had a very difficult time throwing away faded flowers - to me, they are still very beautiful (if a little smelly)....but returning them to nature is part of the process and I accept that. When the weather outside is warm, I often lay my faded flowers in the corner of the garden so they rest in a place they came from....

The photos you see here, all taken by me, are of tulips in the later stages of their cut life....

I think they are still very beautiful, in a mature, ephemeral way, don't you agree?

I think it's important that, from time to time, we look at the details, we bring our eyes and noses closer to the objects around us, that we experience the 'aaaahh-ness" of things....

All photos by AJJ