Hard, Sharp, Soft

Yucca is not wispy.  And yet there it was, gentle wisps curling around the stiff, pointy stalks of the Yucca leaves.  Things I get to do today take me past this area on the front walk frquently.  Pretty curls soften my on-a-mission of focus and capture important moments of contemplation.

Threads of contrast--curls on the straight.

Spirals headed in every direction.

How like people--always a soft side, always another aspect not readily visible,  always contrasting beauty.

Contrast

Canna Lilies on an August sky

Opposites on the color wheel equal maximum contrast:  red and green, purple and yellow, blue and orange. Though Things I get to do today drew me to sit in the rocks of the front yard and extract plants that were not supposed to grow there, when I looked up, I was stunned. Morning clouds and high overcast has gradually melted away to reveal the deep blue sky that makes your heart ache. Add an orange Tropicana, and the picture is complete.




Contrast in life helps us define what we prefer.  When you experience what you don't want, you know more clearly what you do want.  So bless those unwanted things as they show you the way to clarity.  Then focus on what you are preferring, what you are desiring.  Tell only that story, and then watch it come about.

A Dribble of White

We define objects by contrast.  We know hot from cold, light from dark, smooth from rough.  If everything were smooth, tan, and monotone, there would be little meaning.

Dribbled with white

My mother-in-law loved contrast:  black and white was her favorite color combination for clothing.  Brilliant flowers in the garden made her coo with pleasure. Planning which blooms accented best the ones snuggled next was a delight for her spring.  One principle she followed in plotting out the plantings was to mix in "a dribble of white."  The contrast made all the flowers look smarter.

Moms love pink

All philosophical wanderings aside, remembering the importance of contrast at this time of year while one moment I'm bundled up for winter and then next working in shirt sleeves helps define the Things I get to do today.








So Mom Nature's been talking to my mother-in-law and this morning decided to accent the first flowers of spring by dusting them all with "a dribble of white." The delicate crystals kissed all the garden, but only the flowers remembered it long enough to sit for their portraits. Sweetly stunning, indeed. Both these moms know what they're doing.