I looked for the mundane but found the marvelous…

Back in June, I went on the hunt for images of the mundane—those ordinary, often practical objects and moments that make up our everyday lives. This adventure came from a group challenge in my photography group. The results from other photographers ranged from the bizarre to, well, ordinary.

I took over a hundred photos of flowers, trees, clouds, shadows, ground, and obscure things hiding in the grass, clinging to trees, or floating in the wind. After culling through a mess of mundane, I realized that what I captured—the ordinary objects I rarely saw—provided a stunning mosaic of the marvelous. 

Here are a few marvelous sights I encountered:

The Redbud blossoms scattered the ground waiting for the wind to send them floating on their way.

These tiny soldiers popped up on the lawn. Most of the time, I would have walked past or over them never paying much attention. As I lay in the grass to get a closer look, I saw the world from a bug's eye view. (I imagine the neighbors had a good chuckle at me sprawled on the lawn.)

Weird stuff crops up on decaying tree stumps and healthy trees. I came across several types of fungi and lichens. Up close, they create a mysterious landscape.

Early one morning, I almost missed these water droplets clinging to a spider web. The green leaves of the Mexican Petunia held the barely visible silken strands. The spider’s handiwork created a work of art.

Do you ever notice the odd shadows that reappear each day around your house? This one surprised me one day. I haven’t seen another shadow quite like this in the same spot since I took this photo. How many other magical moments have I missed?

My mundane meanderings taught me that when we stop to notice, we find more than we expect. Now, I am more aware of the wonderful life that surrounds me, if I care to look. What marvelous sights will cross your path today?
 

Inspiration worth sharing . . .

1. In this post, I share the clouds and how they spark my creative muse.
    
2. Naomi Shihab Nye, writer, teacher, and poet, lives in San Antonio Texas. I couldn't find a recording of her reading “Messages from Everywhere.” I invite you to read it aloud to yourself and savor her words. 
   
   Messages from Everywhere
   light up our backyard.
   A bird that flew five thousand miles
   is trilling six bright notes.
   This bird flew over mountains and valleys
   and tiny dolls and pencils
   of children I will never see.
   Because this bird is singing to me,
   I belong to the wide wind,
   the people far away who share
   the air and clouds.
   Together we are looking up
   into all we do not own
   and we are listening.
    
3. Zendaya sings of the Wonderful Life. I always love listening to Louis Armstrong’s version, but Jon Batiste mesmerized me with his rendition of What a Wonderful World.
    

“Far beyond all reason in your mind
There's a world mysterious
There for you to find.”
—Zendaya

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
—Marcel Proust