Waking up every morning already makes for a good day. There are times though when you go live every minute of that day, you will find yourself submerged into a pit of disappointment. Things didn’t turn out as you have hoped, expected, or planned. Eventually, you get consumed. This is where you usually begin to doubt. You begin to loathe the idea of a good day.
I now live in a very busy city adorned with concrete-laden environments. Our office doesn’t have something green in it. When toxicity creeps in the walls of the workplace, stress has all the power to take over me. The latter is something that happens rarely, I admit, so when it does it totally beats the hell out of me. What I usually do to get back on track is I carve out some time away from the source of that stress. I go for a stroll through a place where I can see greens or flowers.
When I was working in the Philippines, our office is very near to a nature park. I visit the park each time I feel the need to. It had greatly helped me cope with the pressures of work (“A Hideaway Amid the Slaving Corporate World“). Back then, it was easy for me to bounce back after a slip-up. I also had mountains to climb and beaches to feast on when the going gets tougher (“Life Lessons From My First Solo Travel“).
Finding that kind of defense mechanism in my current state posed a real challenge during my first few months. Then I discovered a place called “Distinct Agricultural Ways Establishment”, which is approximately a hundred meters away from the office. The establishment is actually a nursery where different flower species are displayed for sale. This has become a sort of sanctuary for me (“The Flowers, The Greens, and The Bees“) ever since.
Today, I did a random visit to that nursery to stare plainly at the flowers in the middle of the scorching heat of the sun. As you know, summer here in Saudi is currently at its peak.
This time around, I didn’t focus on the common flowers that have been displayed there. What caught my optical organs were the two minuscule, wild flowers in the area.
The first one seems to have shot up from a piece of earth near the road. I’ve never seen anything like it. The vibrant colors of yellow and orange with a tinge of fuchsia are visually magnetizing.
The other one is equally enticing. It sprouted out from a cracked pavement. I’ve never seen this species before too. The flowers look like a shrunken version of sunflowers, without leaves.
The colors of the flower stimulated my senses particularly sight and smell. My world at that very moment stopped, for a good reason. For a short period of time these two little wonders of nature triggered my happy emotion and heightened my feelings of satisfaction. I never knew how therapeutic it is to watch these small wonders while they strike their beauty upon my senses.
On the spur of the moment, I felt delighted and grateful seeing both of them survive their unconventional environments. I realized that what I carried was not after all different from them yet they don’t falter. They continue to live. They push on doing their purpose: to remind us that each day is a good one by painting colors to the surroundings of these barren but productive lands. They are just there, underrated…waiting to be noticed.
I’m blessed to have found another kind of God’s handiworks that reinforce the idea of celebrating life’s gifts always and being thankful each day through these minute flowers.
I left the place with a positive mood. I couldn’t help but exclaim, “In spite of the things that didn’t turn out the way I expected, today was a good day!”
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STORIES OF THE WANDERING FEET & MIND 
This is such a beautiful post about appreciating the little things around us, and that there is so much more to stress and work in this world. Beautiful shots of the plants, especially the fuchsia flower shot. So vivid, so much clarity. Stunning photography.
Good on you for having the strength to de-stress at work. A few minutes always helps. So nice to hear you feel inspired by the plants growing out of something man-made. Despite the odds, there is always room for something new – if we want something hard enough, work hard for it.
This post reminds me to take breaks while writing and blogging. These days I feel the two are so time consuming and sometimes, it’s hard to get the creative juices flowing. I’m going back to work this week, which will mean less time for writing and blogging, but I think that will be a welcome, inspiring distraction from my passions. Take care, Sony. Hopefully see you around here soon 🙂
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I bet it’s high time for you to do that, Mabel. I have an idea of how much time and effort you spent doing your book’s draft not to mention blogging.
Sometimes, all we need is a reminder from small things. That all things, no matter how big or small, are indeed bright and good.
You take care too.
PS
Looking forward to visiting the land that is Australia.
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Ha, today at work I felt that I need to grow up. Maybe the book draft will just be a book draft. Who knows.
I am looking forward to meeting you one day, Sony. Would be an honour to meet such a well-known Filipino travel blogger.
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Keeping my fingers crossed for that day, Mabel.
I’m now seeing a book not a draft.
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Nice write up Sonnyboy! It’s good that you find an “outlet” of your disappointments. It’s indeed really relaxing to watch the wonder of greeneries, and, foremost, the captivating beauty of those alluring flowers.
Hopefully, you’re not just feel relax when you go back to your office, but inspired and motivated as well. Remember, frustrations or disappointments could be transformed to a powerful moving energy to move and motivate yourself to reach and achieve your dreams and aspirations.
Corporate life is a very nasty world to live by. And you have to deal with its nastiness unless you opted for an early retirement. But be glad. Because you can easily escape from this nasty world by walking safely to your new found sunctuary — “Distinct Agricultural Way Establishment”. Perhaps, I will wait for your next blog to tell us about your new experience with the gardens, and, of course, with your accompanied beautiful photos!!
Keep blogging, bro!
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Thank you, Ronnie. You were right in saying the corporate is a cruel world. Nevertheless, surviving is absolutely an option.
Funny how little things like those flowers can remind you of what you’re missing in the whole picture.
I’m keeping at heart all those reminders, bro. You take care.
PS
Here is the link of what the nursery wonders look like: https://yobynos.wordpress.com/2012/11/23/the-flowers-the-greens-and-the-bees/
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Very inspiring article. That means life is full wonderful surprises especially if you know how to appreciate every little things around you.
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Exactly, Joseph. Thank you very much!
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Lovely post and pictures.I hope the rest of your week is wonderful. 🙂
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Thank you! I needed that reminder.
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I know exactly how you felt in this post. You’re right, we need to appreciate all the little wonders that God had created for us 😄
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Travelers are so good at appreciating it…That is one thing we, travelers, have in common.
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Hi Sony! Thank you for linking to my site and for writing such a lovely post 🙂
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Your blog is one of the reasons why I keep writing and sharing my stories. Add to that improving my work. Thanks, Layla!
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I knew exactly how it feels to be smitten by nature, especially by wild flowers. In Kuwait, the moment the weather cools down and we have the “Winter” ( more like a spring feel), I am thrilled to see the flowers planted along the road and parks. It’s so refreshing to see them apart from the mainstay palm trees.
Now here in Germany, I have this feeling almost everyday. It’s like a motivation to be out and explore and see these little wonders of nature. Some even considered it as weeds but for me, I try to find beauty along the way.I wish I had the same chance while I was living still in the Ph and not only absorbed by work.
Great piece, I love the thoughts behind this post.
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