The Need to Become Grounded and Reconnect with Organic Beauty After Dealing with Out of Balance Corporations

Azaleas

This past month has been filled with change for me, as I recently moved my home and relocated to a new area.  Though where I moved to resonates with my soul, there is so much about moving that is challenging.  As I haven't had the courage to move off the grid, it has been necessary to deal with large corporations to tap into the infrastructure of our country, which I previously took for granted.  Living in a small town, getting internet (which I can't live without) and television (which I fortunately never watch) has been near impossible and I have spent countless frustrating hours on the telephone being sent in circles.  Our communications companies have become so large and unwieldy that even their own employees don't know how to navigate the various departments to get the answers they need.  I half-jokingly told them I might need to get a new cell phone plan in order to afford being put on hold for so many hours to sort this situation out.  There is something very wrong with this picture.  

After being in my new home for a a few days buyers remorse started to hit.  Not because of the house or the amazing property that I now call home, but because I have had to talk to people in other cities who control my communication destiny who have no idea where I am, what I need, and which services are even possible.  This disconnect made me feel an incredible need to connect with my environment, especially since all the Azalea bushes on my property are in full bloom.  The north of Florida has received tremendous amounts of rain this year, and it must have helped to create the heathy blossoms that are exploding with color.  I had to go outside and photograph them and immediately I began to feel better.

Walking in my yard was not enough.  On Sunday, I decided this day was decreed long ago to be a day of rest and so I made a trip to the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, which has the largest bamboo strands in the country.  Looking at bamboo always inspires me.  The colors, the way the light shines on it–especially when it seems to come from within, and all the  delicate leaves that seem to balance the composition in just the right spots.  Unlike corporations, the bamboo seems to clump together and form a unified whole, while still retaining the individuality of each stalk and leaf.  All parts are related and criss cross to form beautiful patterns.  Looking at bamboo always fills me with such a sense of peace and rightful balance.  

Bamboo in Balance

To complete my day, I also rephotographed an amazing Camellia bred my Chuck Ritter. I posted a blog about it the other day, which I illustrated with a photograph taken with my iPhone.  The flower was too gorgeous for me not to try and photograph it with my DSLR.  I made the image below by stacking eight photographs together.  The heart of the flower, the striations of the petals, the rich colors, all were food for my soul.  I stared at it for hours studying its formation and the miracle of its very being–especially this one, bred to such a level of perfection.  Perhaps tomorrow I will be able to go back to the world of corporations and figure out how to make complicated connections instead of reveling in the direct bonds with nature that come so easily to me.