Their colors were soft, their scent was fresh, and somehow, they made me feel calm and happy right away. It’s funny how something as small as a flower can change the way your whole day begins.
I came to school very early today. There were a few students around when I arrived, so I put down my things on my table and started roaming around the school campus. The morning was quiet, and the sun had just begun to peek from the blue sky. I grabbed my phone and started taking pictures of the small, almost unnoticed blooms in the flower beds, on the vacant spaces where grasses grew, and in the back of school buildings where no one wanted to go.
It has been my habit to proceed immediately to our vegetable garden every morning, but today is different. I want to see colors, I want to see grasses grow anywhere, I want to see even the smallest petals and pollens of weeds, and there I have it. The close-up images of these unnoticed things I wanted to notice.
I never realized, until today, that these were considered grasses that our school utility usually mowed could produce such colorful, sweet, beautiful blooms that changed my mood in an instant. The tiny petals, the almost invisible pollens, and the color details, spots, and natural designs are very delightful to my eyes.
Natural beauty created by nature itself is incomparable to paint and canvas, and even incomparable to our camera lenses. What our eyes actually see will be a bit different from what our lenses can capture. And it is nature's magic! So authentic yet so magical!
Every detail of a flower, especially the neglected grasses and weeds, gave me an awe-feeling. It was like, I wanted to ask myself, "Why have I never noticed this before? Or, "These weeds can actually be ornamental plants! Why are they treated as useless and mowed?".
I never noticed the time. I was really enjoying taking close-ups until the school bell rang for the flag-raising ceremony. I wanted to take more photos, those things did a healing power to my soul, but I had to go back to the school ground for the ceremony. With smiles, my day started beautifully, just like the blooms I just saw.
We rush through our days without noticing the small, quiet things around us. But today reminded me that beauty doesn’t always need to be big or loud. It can be found in tiny petals, in the soft sway of grasses, or in blooms that grow where no one looks.
These little wonders can speak to our hearts in ways we don’t expect. They can heal, inspire, and bring calm to a tired soul. I realized that happiness can truly come from seeing things with fresh eyes. And maybe, if we just slow down a little, we’ll discover that the world has been smiling at us all along, through flowers, colors, and morning light.
Take time to smell the flowers, take time to walk barefoot on the grass, take time to hear the birds sing. Take time...