
I stopped at an Amish flower stand to check out the sunflowers I saw last week and an old woman on a bicycle rode up and said hello. I mentioned how big they got and she told me that she didn’t plant them, it was the birds.
When I asked her if any were flowering she told me there was one on the end of the row but something was wrong with it, it wasn’t perfect. I walked over with the curiosity of Schrödinger’s cat and wondered what she meant.
As soon as I saw it I knew that it was absolutely perfect! The leaves protecting the flower were growing at an odd angle but it was very healthy and probably happy to have someone care so much about it.
I took a few photos as the clouds burned off into bright sunshine, the kind of bright that makes color photos of flowers look washed out, so I knew I would end up converting this to black and white. I thanked the woman and told her she made my day.
“Do you think it will be OK?” she asked me before I left. I was a bit surprised at the question but I figured she was used to dealing with two headed calves and vegetables that grow to look like genitals, the Amish hate when that happens. I assured her the flower would be fine.
The Buddha said: “Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up because you will lose the ability to learn new things. Move forward with your life.” I didn’t tell her that because she was close to 80 and I’m sure she has life pretty much figured out by now.
Wonderful post! Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you for visiting!
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That is one cool sunflower!
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I thought so too Janet. Even the old Amish woman understood that imperfect can be beautiful. 🙂
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Perfect anomaly and even better story. Thanks for sharing.
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Wow two people thanked me for sharing, I feel like I’m back at an AA meeting! Truth is stranger than fiction V.J.
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Lol. I’ll try to use another word next time, but I did get a kick out of your story. It’s all in the telling.
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Thank you, if I feel I have a good image I work on the post title and story in my head while driving around. Sometimes I’m too tired from editing hundreds of files and just use a quotation.
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I know the feeling.
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Don’t get old V.J 🙂
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Too late…lol
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Yeah, whatcha gonna do?
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…and inflammation on the brain…already doomed…
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Have you tried one of those hats with the little fans?
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Hahaha – I could so pull that off…
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You can then leave your hat on…
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lol….thanks for the laugh
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My pleasure. 😉 😉 😉
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Beautiful photo and intriguing story. Love them both.
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Thanks!
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Nothing is ever ‘perfect’, especially in nature.
When something does appear perfect, then our expectations often arise as to a new sense of perfection we want to achieve.
If we accept life as it is, we are always happy and content.
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Its been said that everything is perfect because it is what is. As for accepting what is I don’t necessarily think its a guarantee of happiness and contentment. And there is no always anything, you know that as well as anyone Vicki.
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Very artistic flower!
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Mother nature doesn’t mess around! Thanks Robert.
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It is beautiful in black and white..
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Thanks Lisa, it will be in a vase on someones dinner table next week.
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Perfection is too glorified. Beauty is in the imperfections. Love your story of engagement, Mike. ❤
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I agree-beauty is in the imperfections. Thanks Olga.
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What a beautiful post! There is beauty in everything 💕🙂
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Thank you Christine, sometimes we just have to look harder to find it.
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Yes, and there’s something comforting about it once you’re there 🙂
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Agreed. It might be considered mindfulness or it might be an awesome flower on the side of the road!
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I just visited your blog. What beautiful photography and accompanying quotes! Nice to meet you 🙂
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Thanks Christine, I was just visiting your blog. Did you take the photos or are they stock? I’ll be reading more of your poetry soon. Nice to meet you too. 🙂
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Thank you Mike! The photos used with each poem are stock. The only pics of mine are iPhone photos in the section Eyes Wide Open. Just fun stuff that would catch my eye when I was out running/waling. I haven’t taken any in a while. I must get back into it and start sharing again. It’s amazing what you see when you bother to look! 🙂
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I read several of your poems and you’re very talented. I tend to favor pain and suffering so those are the ones I looked at. 😉
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Why thank you! Happy to oblige you with all the pain of a suffering poet (not really!!!)
Thanks for reading some of my work. I write humorous ones too 🤣
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I’ll take a look, thanks Christine.
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Two lovely compositions: picture and text.
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Thanks iBall, sometimes everything just seems to come together!
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😁
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As I was editing this mornings photos I realized that it doesn’t happen often. I am a bit obsessive though (see blog name).
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Sometimes a little OCD is good. 😁
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There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground-its either EVERYTHING or nothing. Heavy drinking used to help but not surprisingly that didn’t work out well.
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This is unusual for sure 🙂
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I did go back and now its almost normal, and a bit boring.
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Yeah, unusual can will sure turn into usual one day and then morph into boring after that 🙂
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I guess if somethings boring we’re looking at it wrong.
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Great story and a great photo.
Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for visiting. Good luck with your affiliates, I’ve had several websites and its very challenging to sell things through links, especially Amazon. Consider reviewing an affiliate product like a book, include images and a link at the end. I used to get a 50% commission on each referred sale but you may not want to be promoting those things.
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