Today's Picture to Ponder Photos
Poison Arrow flowers at the American Orchid Society Gardens in Delray Beach

I purposely did not name this flower in the subject header today and I intentionally gave you a few different views before revealing its name. I wanted you to have the opportunity of being with the flowers, unimpacted by the description.

They caught my eye on a recent walk in the AOS gardens. I snapped several photographs and then searched for a sign with the identity. Once I found the information I was taken aback by the name and a positive experience now became somewhat of a negaitve experience. Something beautiful had been diminished.

I therefore invite you to be with the flowers and your own responses without any further words from me about my own comments on visuals and aesthetics.

Self-Reflecting Queries
My experience with today's Poison Arrow flowers is one more example of how easy it is to be influenced by labels, other people's words and our own resulting judgments.

Once I read the sign, I immediately went into a negative space when thinking about the flowers. Both the words "poison" and "arrow" conjure up troublesome ideas for me. Any beauty I had seen in the flowers mostly evaporated although another part of me became curious to know why they were so named. Before writing today I did a brief google search and found no answers.

Interestingly, as I began to spend time with the flowers today working with the photos, the "not pretty" opinions disappeared and I was once again able to see the beauty in the flowers.

Can you recall times in your life where your responses to people or situations was colored and altered by what others said or you read? More importantly, are there any situations now where negative conversations and/or interpretations are blocking your appreciation of someone or some thing.

If so, I invite you to step away, revisit and look at the scenario with fresh eyes. What beauty or value can you now find in that?

Can you play with it and have fun? I did bringing today's issue to you, as I also created a new special web page.

Pictures to Ponder: Inspired Journaling - for stress relief as well as inspiration, a downloadable Book "I bought your eBook earlier today and not only is it well written, the pictures you chose are lovely. I know this will be a very successful for you. Congratulations!" Eva Macie, Artist To see this flower in is it's full size as it's available in the downloadable book, click on Lady Slipper I often find peace and healing when I open up a flower photo, larger than can be used in Picture to Ponder, and spend time being with and studying it on my computer monitor. You, too, can open up one of the beautiful flowers that are in PICTURES TO PONDER: Inspired Journaling almost fill your screen with it, and then "step into" the image. The high resolution, set for printing, has the photographs capable of maintaining their quality at magnification as much as 300%. And, of course, the queries that went with the flowers are here also. For more information and to purchase, go to Downloadable Book.

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Especial thanks to those of you who have been passing this on!

Inspirationally,


Sheila
sheila[at]eteletours.com --
© 2007 Sheila Finkelstein
http://www.eteletours.com/ptpintro.html