weeds – Jolene's Life in Focus

Ordinary Things

January 21, 2013January 21, 2013Posted in BellinghamTagged 2013 goals, D90, inspiration, Nikon, ordinary things, Pacific Northwest weed, photography, weeds12 Comments

I started this blog a couple of years ago to, as my tagline reads, find the beauty in ordinary things. A while ago, I lost site of that purpose. I thought that unless I was traveling the world and posting images of far away places, I was somehow failing as a photographer. Failing to grow and branch out. Failing to catch the eye of Lonely Planet or National Geographic so I could abandon my job in favor of more glamorous prospects.

Sometimes, we become so familiar with our surroundings that they become unremarkable, maybe even ugly. My challenge this year, to myself and to anyone else who feels uninspired, is to look at your home with the eyes of a tourist. Pretend you’ve never been there before. What might you see that you’ve missed? There are no magical locations around the globe, only ordinary people with a talent for finding the beauty around them. In 2013, let’s allow ourselves to become enchanted with the places we call home.

Snow Caps

November 21, 2010Posted in UncategorizedTagged Canon 40d, hats, Jolene's Life in Focus, leaves, photo of the day, photography, picture of the day, random, Snow, snow cap, weeds6 Comments

This is just my quirky sense of humor coming out, but the snowfall on these little weeds, flowers, and leaves almost looks like hats.

The first, a Tyrolean hat from the Alps; the second, a Russian Ushanka; the third, a simple men’s flat cap. What do you see?

A Flower Falls

November 11, 2010Posted in UncategorizedTagged Dogen quote, Flowers, Jolene's Life in Focus, Love, photography, picture of the day, weeds, wilted flower4 Comments

A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it. ~Dogen

There’s something about Jess’s wilted flowers that I have grown to appreciate. They’re a gentle reminder of the capacity of the heart to heal despite the greatest hurts – that new life can grow from death.

And when it does, we learn to rip the weeds from the flowerbed before they choke the roses.