In Search of Tiny Treasures

"Anything looked at closely becomes wonderful." ~ A. R. Ammons

There are many ways to elicit wonder. One of my favorite ways is by literally seeing the world through different lenses. When I see the world through a lens that magnifies the minuscule, the world of the tiny suddenly becomes big and miraculous. Things that seem ordinary that I often overlook are all of a sudden filled with beauty. The more I look through a macro lens, the more miraculous the world around me becomes. It is such an exciting adventure to be surprised by what beauty I will discover next!

Recently I have been amazed at how much beauty can be found in what at first might appear as a bleak winter landscape in the dead of winter. In those moments when perhaps some snow has melted, but the landscape remains bleak, dry, and quiet, it is easy to walk past the tiny treasures all around us.

I wasn't sure at first if there would be too much to look at in a community garden that I often walk past. The plants have been harvested and the many frosts and snow falls have left a barren landscape full of muted brown hues. But when I look at it through new lenses, there is great magic waiting to be discovered! All the richness of colors and textures in a crumpled leaf that I step on without a moment's thought or the twists and turns of a tiny dried vine wrapped around a withered fence - it is all full of such richness!

Here are a few of my recent tiny treasures, a celebration of what so often goes overlooked in the depths of winter. I invite you to pause and take these in. And maybe look around you with new eyes at the tiny treasures all around you.