To Bloom and Behold

 

Flowers have always been a constant in my life. Growing up in Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines, we celebrate a local fiesta called Panagbenga, which means "to bloom" or "the season of flowering." Surrounded by blossoms each year, it's no surprise that I find myself drawn to capturing the delicate beauty of flowers in Second Life. I am captivated by the intricacies of a single bloom; the way it opens slowly, quietly, and with purpose.

She walks and flowers swoon features the River Cape (Spring version) by Starlight Designs. 

One of my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho, once reflected on the fragility of life and the awareness of our own finitude by comparing it to a flower. In his book Like the Flowing River, he writes with gentle wisdom that a flower lives to flower, and even in that simple act, it lives a purposeful life.

That reflection brought me back to another memory from childhood—a passage from The Little Prince. I remember the quiet exchange between the Little Prince and the fox, their conversation about roses and foxes, about time shared, and how that time shapes the value of another. That moment stayed with me.

A flowered view is my interpretation of seeing life through rose-colored glasses, but with a commentary that it is also an act of resistance against all that makes life less beautiful. This picture was taken at Reality Escape, a beautiful virtual space celebrating literature and nature. 

I often wondered if people truly saw me; if I, like the rose in the story, could be recognized for who I am in a garden full of others. Could there be a way to be chosen, not because I stood out, but because someone had taken the time to notice, to understand?

These questions stayed with me, lingering in the quiet moments of life: holding someone’s hand as their voice trembled under the weight of unspoken grief, sharing stories beneath the moonlight, or simply sitting together over coffee. In those tender encounters, I began to see something more clearly.

    A flower among flowers evokes the harmony and beauty of the human body within the natural world. 

Perhaps it was never really about being seen as the rose. What truly matters is the willingness to see someone else; to place them at the center of our gaze, to offer presence, attention, and care. That is where love begins. Not in being rare or extraordinary, but in choosing to love the other, simply and wholly.

    A fragrant breeze is simply an expression of what I feel in the presence of nature. 

And now, I truly believe that a life well spent, even as fleeting as a flower’s, is one that blooms in witnessing the lives of others, celebrating them in all their beautiful complexities. 

    Let my petitions bloom like lavenders is a photograph I took at Tide Haven. It was selected for Flickr's Explore, a curated daily gallery showcasing exceptional images chosen for their creativity, composition, and engagement. This image holds personal meaning for me, as it captures both the serenity of the setting and the tenacious strength behind a prayer offered in bloom.