Almost a Rainbow

The same day I noticed all those orange Chinese fringe flower leaves in my backyard and made the orange leaf “flower,” I also realized that the photinia leaves scattered on the ground were quite colorful. It was surprising. It’s spring, after all, and one expects leaves to be green, or maybe red like the new growth on this plant. When the photinia leaves lie haphazardly where they fall, it’s hard to notice their color variants. Gathering some together revealed almost a rainbow. My gratitude goes out to the land artists who made me realize that leaves, even from the same plant, are not all one color.

Photinia Rainbow

Seeing—really seeing—is something that comes naturally to some. For others it requires some discipline. We often interact with our surroundings using a kind of visual shorthand, taking in only the most general details as we move through space. Seeing is something I’m working on because really seeing sometimes leads to finding. Discovery gives one quite a marvelous feeling, don’t you think? Over time, I’ve come to understand that discovery is very often a simple matter of tilting your head to the side, brushing off the debris, and revealing what was there all along. To my way of thinking, this is proof that miracles are all around us—and within.

11 Responses to “Almost a Rainbow”

  • Nicole
    May 14, 2010 at 9:54 pm

    Reply

  • Hilary
    May 15, 2010 at 1:50 am

    *beaming*

    Reply

  • Maureen Cracknell
    September 21, 2011 at 6:19 pm

    This is such a lovely photo! I was wondering if I can share it on my blog? I would be sure to link it back to you! Thanks,
    Maureen
    maureencracknell@hotmail.com

    Reply

  • Notablogger
    September 22, 2011 at 3:05 pm

    Fantastic image! I want to look and look and look at it. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  • Sarah
    October 19, 2011 at 11:03 am

    Now I know where this came from! My husband forwarded this picture from REDDIT where someone had shared it but not linked it to you. He did some search to try and locate origin but couldn’t find it. I have many photographer friends and didn’t want to use a picture without credit. But when none could be found I turned it sideways and posted it as my Facebook profile picture, a few weeks ago as the leaves became more vibrant around here. A friend of mine just forwarded this blog post to me and I was so happy! What a lovey picture this is. I can’t tell you how many people commented on it and loved the composition! I was getting ready to change my profile picture. So I’d love to give people a link to this blog post so they can see from where it originated. Let me know if you are good with that.

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Sara
      October 19, 2011 at 2:18 pm

      Please do!

      Reply

  • Wataru Shoji
    February 8, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    Hello.
    Your Photo of the leaf is very nice.
    So, I want to use it in my face book Cover.
    Can I use?
    If OK,
    Your credit, is dear. “Ursula K. LeGuinn”?

    http://www.facebook.com/wwwwataru
    Thank you! From Japan.

    Reply

    • Sara
      February 14, 2012 at 12:28 pm

      Hi there, the photograph is my own, so the credit is Sara E. Wilson. xo

      Reply

  • Shereen
    March 25, 2013 at 7:31 pm

    Hi Sara,

    I really love your photo of the leaves. It’s so colorful. I would love to share it on my website section color and of course credit you (Sara E. Wilson)
    Hope that’s okay with you!

    Reply

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  • About Sara

    Thanks for visiting! I’m Sara, editor and writer, wife to Ian, and mother of two precious boys. I am living each day to the fullest and with as much grace, creativity, and patience as I can muster. This is where I write about living, loving, and engaging fully in family life and the world around me. I let my hair down here. I learn new skills here. I strive to be a better human being here. And I tell the truth.

    Our children attend Waldorf school and we are enriching our home and family life with plenty of Waldorf-inspired festivals, crafts, and stories.

    © 2003–2018 Please do not use my photographs or text without my permission.

    “Love doesn’t just sit there like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.” —Ursula K. LeGuinn

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