Sometimes I like to play “Hide and Seek.”
For me it is a conscious mind game, where I choose to focus my attention on seeking beauty in the ordinary aspects of my daily life.
Today, an onion caught my attention!
Onions have not always been viewed with flippancy. History teaches us that they were often honored and appreciated. Egyptians worshipped their concentric rings, and regarded them as symbols of eternal life. Here in the US, the great city of Chicago derives its name from the Algonquin word for “onion”!
Today, onions are considered common place. They are eaten and grown in more countries than any other vegetable. With over 100,000,000,000 pounds consumed each year, the onion ranks as one of the world’s most widely grown crops. Personally I have consumed, cooked with, and “encountered” onions for most of my lifetime, and yet it was not until I decided to photograph an onion, that I took the time to recognize the inherent beauty of this amazing vegetable.
When I teach my contemplative photography and writing progams, I often emphasize how simple cell-phone photography can be used as a tool to enhance and transform our day to day experiences. This lesson was never clearer to me than when I took the photograph that is pictured above. The whole process of viewing an onion as an object of beauty and grace opened my eyes to seeing it from a different perspective. It prompted me to reflect on the idea that the people, plants and animals that surround me, could all be glorious creations worthy of admiration and respect.
Thus I am grateful for my lessons from the Onion,
and for the reminder to keep looking for the beauty and grace
that is often hidden in the ordinary moments of life.
Much Love,
Jane