Orchid #2, Shades of Red

This is the second in a series of seven orchid snapshots. The original was a standard orchid. Nothing stood out.

I snapped a picture.  But, something magic happens when I look at things from a different angle–they become unique, special.

“Stop taking pictures of flowers.” My friend Jodi, the photographer, hates flower photos. “Too cliche.”  She the best, so her opinion matters.

But on this one thing, I disagree.

Every flower, weed, tree spends its whole life fighting nature for twenty minutes of glory.  I love it when I show up on time. It deserves a celebration.

Sometimes I’m late. One petal’s missing, another’s brown. The stem bends, a leaf gets eaten by a bug. “I tried to wait for you!”

I didn’t make it on time.

Those are the flowers I love best. They gave it their all–stood proud. When they bow down, take their rest, they leave some seeds, return, and shine again.

They’re a good reminder of how I want to be.

 Thank you for collecting Orchid #2. I hope this piece serves you well.

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