A little perspective from the garden

For anyone exposed to media of any kind this week there is no denying things have been overwhelmingly morose. Besides the happenings in World News, personally things have been a little bothersome too. Add in the lovely menopausal hormone fluctuations and I was headed for a meltdown of epic proportions.

And then I went outside.

At first, I saw a few plants that may not survive this drought and more than a few weeds, including this Mexican Evening Primrose that I have been trying to eradicate from my yard for 10 years! Annoying little rhizome that lurks under the soil waiting for any water to burst forth and take over my garden again....

Sigh! But, I chose not to focus on those. Instead I saw my olive tree finally bore fruit! Only 4 olives, but that's 4 more than last year!

The Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa) is winding down for the year, but in the midst of the spent plumes, there are still a few buds waiting to open.

And the leaves of the pomegranate tree are beginning to yellow and drop.

But beneath those leaves lie 5 or 6 HUGE (as big around as my hand) pomegranates almost ready for harvest. Which is 5 or 6 more than last year.

Slowly the Negative Mental Attitude started draining from my body as the Positive Mental Attitude took hold.

Perspective. Life sucks sometimes. Bad things happen to good people. Death is a part of life. We can be overwhelmed by the negative around us or we can accept it for what it is and try to find the beauty.

[Tweet "We can be overwhelmed by the negative or accept it for what it is and seek the beauty. #happiness"]

Do you see the dead Wayne Roderick Daisy (Erigeron glaucus) in the center? or the two buds on the sides?

How about here?

Is this nothing more than dead spent flowers?

Or do they hold a secret for future generations?

Just a small shift of the camera can change the entire view.

When life becomes overwhelming and depressing, I encourage you to shift your focus. Step away from the media. Get outside and discover that there is always something positive and beautiful if you take the time to look for it.

[Tweet "A small shift in focus can change the entire picture - and your outlook. #photography #happiness"]