Day 21: Beauty in a broken world

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Until the pandemic, I loved visiting museums, especially art museums. On my first visit to Chicago, a sweet friend who lived there invited me to join her at the Art Institute of Chicago. What a glorious time I had. That was eight years—and a lifetime—ago.

A detail of Monet’s Water Lily Pond, with textured brushstrokes in a rainbow of colors

I took this photo of the detail in Monet’s Water Lily Pond, hoping to capture the textures in the painting. Nothing beats seeing art in real life, though, to be able to examine more closely the brush strokes and even the cracks in the paint, and I look forward to wandering through art museums again some day.

Join me in the hunt for beauty?
Where do you see beauty in a broken world? Want to add your own images during the 31-day journey? If so, feel free to comment below with your Instagram handle, and tag your Insta posts with #beautyinabrokenworld. You’ll find me there @pixofhope.

Day 20: Beauty in a broken world

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Today marks the vernal equinox, the first day of spring (though some of you may have celebrated the start of meteorological spring at the beginning of the month). From some of the photos you’ve shared on social media and from stories you’ve told me, many of you live in a place where spring flowers have been blooming for weeks. I’m still waiting for my daffodils to bloom, though several neighbors have open daffodils already.

What animal sightings conjure up spring for you? For me, one such animal is the rabbit.

A cottontail stays still until I glance down at my camera.

While cottontail rabbits don’t hibernate, spring makes them more active, at least at times when I’m outside to notice them. I see them hopping about and begin to think of the Easter Bunny.

I believed in the Easter Bunny for a much longer time than most other childhood institutions (second only to the Tooth Fairy) because it never occurred to me that Dad would drive home during Sunday School to hide Easter eggs and then drive back to church to bring us home. Perhaps it’s my fondness for our family’s Easter traditions that makes me look for rabbits with joy in the spring. And perhaps because not much is blooming yet, the rabbits haven’t yet frustrated me with their garden dining habits.

Join me in the hunt for beauty?
Where do you see beauty in a broken world? Want to add your own images during the 31-day journey? If so, feel free to comment below with your Instagram handle, and tag your Insta posts with #beautyinabrokenworld. You’ll find me there @pixofhope.

Day 19: Beauty in a broken world

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Sunrise ushers in not only a new day but also the promise of a new us. Each morning, we have a chance to continue forging a good habit or abstaining from a bad one. We have a fresh start on chasing our dreams and transforming ourselves into the people we hope to become.

As the sun rises, I can hear birds singing, and across a wide expanse of this mountain where I stand, I hear woodpeckers signaling to each other as they hammer out their messages against tree trunks.

Scientists have theorized that birds joining in the dawn chorus may be letting others, especially potential mates, know, “I’m still here. I made it through the night.” Perhaps its the same for people. I get up early to capture a sunrise, and in some small way, I’m also saying to you, “I’m still here. I made it through the night.”

Join me in the hunt for beauty?
Where do you see beauty in a broken world? Want to add your own images during the 31-day journey? If so, feel free to comment below with your Instagram handle, and tag your Insta posts with #beautyinabrokenworld. You’ll find me there @pixofhope.

Day 18: Beauty in a broken world

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Remember the female mallard photo from Day 12? Well, I wanted to share a photo of one of her possible mates with you today. As I mentioned in the earlier post, they were all a bit miffed that I didn’t bring any food for them. Can you see the disappointment in his expression?

Male mallards, also called drakes, have more vivid color patterns than their female counterparts (the female ducks are just called ducks). I especially love the colors on this mallard’s head, and I ended up choosing this photo instead of one in the water because I wanted you to see his brilliant orange feet. Visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology online to learn more about these common beauties.

Join me in the hunt for beauty?
Where do you see beauty in a broken world? Want to add your own images during the 31-day journey? If so, feel free to comment below with your Instagram handle, and tag your Insta posts with #beautyinabrokenworld. You’ll find me there @pixofhope.

Day 17: Beauty in a broken world

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Quick question: do you believe in luck? St. Patrick’s Day has become infused with the concept of luck (and the color green). I was lucky—or perhaps just being observant—to happen upon a tree where someone had set a horseshoe. I promise it wasn’t me. Well, at least not the first time I saw it. It had fallen when I returned a few days later with my camera, and so I set it back on the tree. It has since fallen again, the tree triumphant in shaking off its unwanted guest.

A lucky horseshoe rests on a knot in a tree

I believe more in blessings than luck, and so I’ll offer you this Irish blessing:

May you always be blessed
With walls for the wind.
A roof for the rain.
A warm cup of tea by the fire.
Laughter to cheer you.
Those you love near you.
And all that your
Heart might desire.

Join me in the hunt for beauty?
Where do you see beauty in a broken world? Want to add your own images during the 31-day journey? If so, feel free to comment below with your Instagram handle, and tag your Insta posts with #beautyinabrokenworld. You’ll find me there @pixofhope.