Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos
a Red Onion photographed at night, as it was when I brought it home from the store.
The middle and lower photographs are taken on the next day, as part of a project I started, observing the peeling of an onion as it relates to the peeling away the layers of ourselves.
In terms of aesthetics, I love the richness of the color in the top photo. In the middle photo, after the outer skin was peeled away, we are left with beautiful colors and shapes, contrasting lights and darks.
I’ve introduced the bottom photo to show the varieties of textures – thin and thick – that were in the outer layer(s).
Self-Reflecting Queries
I had planned to start using this blog for almost-daily postings of photos and thoughts and then after a conversation with a couple of mastermind buddies, we decided to take on doing a photo a day, with a different theme each week. Veggies became the first theme we choose. See Broccoli and Onions, Veggies Day 1 on the blog for further explanation and an invitation to join us in our play.
On Veggies Day 2, you’ll read about my experience shopping for vegetables to photograph, studying colors, textures, and shapes.
Suddenly, while looking at the onion and observing a layer of skin starting to peel away, I remembered various times when professionals have said that one way to get in touch with ourselves is to start peeling away our layers to get inside. With that thought, I decided to concentrate on the onion as my photo for each day, for the next few days, at least. Naturally, I’ve been taking far more than one photo a day.
When I got to day 2 of the onion I immediately went directly to cutting into it to get at where I thought the beauty and intrigue would be, in the patterns of the slices. Halfway in I remembered, “Oh, my expressed intention was to peel away the layers of the onion.”
So I stopped cutting and started peeling, recognizing that this was so typical of patterns in my life. I usually simply jump in to whatever I am excited about, often not reading the instructions or getting more information that many times would have simplified things for me.
Once I started peeling, I became open to the beauties that were slowly being revealed. At the same time I noticed that some of the very, thin almost transparent sections of the very outer layer, did not want to let go and yet other sections of them, as showing in the top photo, were ready. You can get a measure of some of the thinness and thickness of the first layer – well I guess two, if we consider the very fine “skin” as the first layer.
So on to Queries for the day. I invite you to look at your own life and consider:
1 – Do you jump right in, or do you slowly peel away the levels of a project, to get at the heart of it? As you look at, and think about the onion analogy, are there any shifts, you might want to consider making?
2 – Do you usually have an intention when you start an activity? Do you have a method for keeping that present, a reminder system? If not, is there something you would like to set up?
3 – And, on a slightly different track, is there a playful practice that you’ve been meaning to do, something simple to which you might like to commit to doing on a daily basis for a week?
Lastly, I invite you to join us in taking a photo a day and I invite you to share your reactions on the blog, where this issue is also posted for your convenience.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Sheila,
After reading the blog all the way to the photo of the tiled wall I was reminded of a quote I have become fond of –
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust
One of the pleasures I receive from cooking and gardening is the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of simple things we often take for granted.
Thank you for encouraging each of us to do just that.
Lauren
What a great and fitting quote for what I’m about, Lauren. I’ll look at using that somewhere along the line in my marketing pieces. Thank you so much for posting it and for going through all these posts.
You’ve certainly been a valued friend, via being a Picture to Ponder subscriber and commenter for so many years, and for who I’ve learned that you are. Isn’t the Internet great for making new friendships?
With great appreciation, Sheila
Your Pictures to Ponder seem to pop into my email at just the right time. I had just had a most frustrating exchange with a coworker, and seeing these cute little vegetables just made me feel good again. Vegetables never give me grief!
It’s interesting that you ask us to consider whether we jump into things. This is exactly the point I was trying to make to the coworker. He criticized my work, telling me it was not complete, when I thought I had painstakingly done all I was asked to do. I was expecting a “Thanks for getting it done well ahead of schedule” rather than a “do it all over!”
So, I guess this is an issue I need to look at more closely. Obviously, others don’t think I’m as careful as I think I am. What did I miss? What can the vegetables teach me?
They just rest; sit; wait. They allow whatever is going to happen to happen. They don’t react. They don’t fight.
And that’s peaceful.
Nancy D
Thank you Sheila. I always look forward to Picture to Ponder – it has been a source of inspiration over the years – guess it is years isn’t it? Time does seem to pass swiftly the older we get. I enjoy collecting quotes – have a stack of them on card stock I rotate and post by my computer at work. I also have a small notebook full at home and several books of quotations focused on different themes. Little tid bits to think about, plus sometimes they are useful when I am writing.
Thanks for the acknowledgment, Nancy and Lauren.
Yes, Nancy, that’s a great observation when looking at the vegetables and what they can teach use. They just sit and wait and allow whatever is going to happen, happen.
And, adding to that when some recipients are ready to receive,the vegetables provide plenty of nourishment and life.
Amazing, for me, what I started in my own life with the onion game. And I’m having fun. See today’s brief post on Play – http://www.photographyandtransformation.com/humor-in-onion-peel-layer-4-veggies-day-5/2008/08/08
Have fun.
I jump right in too many times without making an Intention. Then I get lost in the chaos and do not always do my best! My new Intention, I am learning “with practice,†is to set an INTENTION with everything I do! Like with reading for instance. “Why†am I reading a book? …for pleasure, because I want to find out some information, learn something new,
study something, remember things? When I state ahead of time, what my Intention is, then I am much more likely to get what I want from the time I spend! Same with cooking. I want to prepare my meal with love and put love into the food. That is certainly going to change the way I prepare the food and how it affects others! Today I begin my reminding myself to take a couple Deep Breaths to ground myself and remember to ask. I am still in the kindergarten stage, however, I am expecting to be a master in a month or so!
Today I will have to catch up with my veggie photos. I was shopping yesterday and forgot to take my camera along!! So outside I will go!! THANKS for the inspiration!!
Love, Morgine