Every morning when we go for a walk with Max in our neighborhood, we encounter all of the changes in nature, which, unlike the East Coast’s climate, is not so noticeable. But spring is different, because of the colors of all of the blooming flowers. Photographing them and then processing the images on my computer, gave me the opportunity to see flowers up close in their various shapes and colors. We see flowers all the time, and perhaps some of us take them for granted. Turns out that scientists have difficulty answering the question: How do flowersbloom? All the same, the question I actually have is — “Why do flowers bloom and why are they so colorful?” Years ago when our family traveled to the New-York state area in the Fall and saw the changing colors of the leaves, I asked myself why there is so much beauty in nature? Are humans the only ones who could see and appreciate it? Do wild animals benefit from this colorful gamut?
The idea which I shared with my family was that it was part of God’s plan to give people something to enjoy and to look forward to returning every year, and that we do not have to do anything to have this experience, other than just to notice and to appreciate. My family did not buy the idea that God interferes in our appreciation of nature; thus, my question remained unanswered. The same question continues regarding flowers – why are they so attractive? Only for the bees and other insects to see where they collect pollen? Regardless of the answer to that question, flowers keep blooming, and not only in our neighborhood. When we travelled to Israel last fall, a friend suggested coming back in early spring and travelling to the Sinai to experience the blooming desert. We do not have to travel so far. We have our own desert – Death Valley. Though it is located in over 500 miles from San Francisco, and it can take 8 hours to get there. Fortunately there is another alternative – the blooming trees, and you can find them in many places (like in our backyard). But the place to really see those beautiful trees is in Golden Gate Park. There are quite a few of them around Stow Lake where we go for a walk with Max on the weekends. One morning while I was driving Max to his doggy sitter through the park, I encountered a woman photographing a blooming tree. And as it often happens, seeing her, the answer came to me. Most of the trees looked alike, however her red coat actually made the image.
Flowers bloom from spring to autumn, which is replaced by the colors of fall. Appreciating the beauty is part of our being. We need it as we need air to breathe and water to drink. As co-creators, we learn from nature and manifest it in the colors of our clothing and the flowers we use to decorate our lives. We plant blooming flowers and trees by emulating wild nature, because we are part of the nature and follow its circles and rhythms.
Part of the circle is prescribed by the Jewish “moadim lesimcha” or “celebration of joy”. This weekend there are number of them. Friday night is the first night of Passover” – the holiday of the liberation of the Jews from slavery. It is also Good Friday, a Christian religious holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which led to the creation of Christianity. It is followed by Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday. Regardless which holiday you are celebrating, most people decorate their homes with flowers, which my wife primarily buys at Costco.
P.S. The four images of the blooming trees are for your enjoyment. I also added three groups of flowers on my website mannykagan.com. To see them – click on www.mannykagan.smugmug.com.
Happy Holidays!
Enjoy and Share!
