'Ankle Beauties' Blossoming At Our Feet: Part 1
By Winston D. Munnings
26 April 2008
The great Theologian, Musician, Philosopher and renowned Medical Doctor, Albert Schweitzer, once said "...In the hope of reaching the Moon, men fail to see the Flowers that blossom at their Feet..."
When I first came across this quote I was so stricken by it that it soon became the keystone for my website: Portrait Of A Flower.com.
What Schweitzer was actually saying, however, is that we are sometimes so occupied with looking afar and reaching onward that we fail to see the beauty that is so near and close to us. We fail to see beauty (literally) at our feet.
Imagine, for example, leaving your home for an afternoon walk. What are you most likely to see? You'll see cars, clouds, airplanes, people riding bikes, people walking their dogs, playing in the park, talking to each other while waiting for a bus, for a friend etc., etc., etc., Your eyes are likely to wander any and everywhere and, perhaps, even towards someone's garden where a big red hibiscus is pushing through the fence as if to say: Hey You! Look at me! You will probably end up thinking aloud: "Wow! That's pretty." And it probably is.
There's nothing wrong with 'seeing' or 'looking' in this fashion, because it is expected of upright walking human beings, such as we are, to view or study the world in this manner.
Let us broaden the imagination a bit, however. Close your eyes and imagine that you are now only twelve inches (1 foot) tall and leaving your home (again) for an afternoon wander. What do you think you are most likely to see? You'll probably be shocked to observe this arrangement of what I call 'Ankle Beauties' as depicted in this Photo Essay.
These poor souls are isolated images of 'roadside' wild flowers (growing about 12 inches from the ground) that we pass by daily on an afternoon stroll, or on our way to and from work. Perhaps to the majority, these beauties are of no consequence. Perhaps they have little or no commercial value (if any at all) and (perhaps) they are hardly ever seen by the casual onlooker. But visit any city, small or large, in any country on any of the five continents and you'll find literally billions of these wayside 'Ankle Beauties' just dying to be seen and, if you are so inclined, to be photographed.
Next time you take a leisurely walk, take a good look closer to the ground. It's all about learning how to see and, in so doing, discovering what might be blossoming at YOUR feet.
Photographer's Note: All these roadside beauties were photographed within 1/4 miles of my home in Cutler Bay, South Florida.
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