In an earlier post this month, I mentioned the lotus, but I used a picture of a water lily to represent it. It served as my lotus factotum since I had misplaced my lotus pictures. SAM has kindly undertaken the task of moving a virtual truckload of photos from the hard drive to other storage devices--CD-ROMs--and I had to sift through them to find what I wanted. A lotus may look similar to the water-lily and share its quality of beauty, but its flowering habit--emerging from the water instead of floating on the surface--and other factors seem to set it apart. I took the lotus (Nelumbo lutea) photos last year when SAM and I were living in Illinois and had visited Lake Glendale. Walking around the lake and taking in the lotus beauty released a lot of tension we had allowed to build over the previous several months.
The world watched a modern version of detente--release of tensions--unfold yesterday. While the men at the White House moved forward--sitting at table being served their beer--I wondered what beverage their women were consuming. Did FLOTUS order tea? It's an ancient drink, I'll grant, and lends itself to looking back instead of forward. Still, it might serve useful to remind the Niall-of-the-Nine-Hostages descendants to avoid in future the appearance of stirring a Tempest in a Teapot.
"The more virtuous any man is, the less easily does he suspect others to be vicious."--Marcus Tullius Cicero
The world watched a modern version of detente--release of tensions--unfold yesterday. While the men at the White House moved forward--sitting at table being served their beer--I wondered what beverage their women were consuming. Did FLOTUS order tea? It's an ancient drink, I'll grant, and lends itself to looking back instead of forward. Still, it might serve useful to remind the Niall-of-the-Nine-Hostages descendants to avoid in future the appearance of stirring a Tempest in a Teapot.
"The more virtuous any man is, the less easily does he suspect others to be vicious."--Marcus Tullius Cicero*****************************************************************
"One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water."--Bhagavad Gita 5.10
Please visit Ramblingwoods.com to see what other bloggers have posted for this week's Nature Notes by clicking on the link above or at the side of this post.
Please visit Ramblingwoods.com to see what other bloggers have posted for this week's Nature Notes by clicking on the link above or at the side of this post.
Just smelling a lotus or lily would probably release my tensions. Lovely water scene. I thought yesterday's detente accomplishing nothing and was pointless, personally speaking.
ReplyDeleteI can see where any walk in Nature would help release some tensions. I didn't know about lotus and water lilies as these ponds are devoid of any vegetation...I love the way you wove in current events...special writing talent and thank you for sharing them with Nature Notes... Michelle
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who grew lotus in his tiny back yard... he got one of those half whiskey barrels, filled the bottom with 6 inches of top-soil, planted some fresh lotus root from the Asian market in it, covered the dirt with pebbles then filled the barrel with water. The Pebbles keep the dirt from mixing into the water... Then he put in a few cheap goldfish... to eat any mosquitos and fertilize the plant... Grew like gang-busters!
ReplyDeleteOh, I love aquatic flowers, and of course the lotus. Charming photos, W2W. Nice quote from Gita. It's a treasure chest to information following which one can lead a perfect life. In fact, according to Indian Legends, it is from Lotus that the entire Universe, along with its creator sprang up.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been watching the news, so I missed the "beer summit." But it's the kind of situation that could certainly use some release of tension. If lotus flowers weren't available, I hope they at least took a stroll through the Rose Garden.
ReplyDeleteOh my a blogger who quotes Cicero! I love it.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen lotus since I left Alabama. There were masses of beautiful lotus clogging up the waterways there.
ReplyDeleteI agree, drama that lead up to the the beer summit was a tempest in a teapot. I am happy to say that after it was over the press moved on to other stories and for that I'm grateful.
Marnie
Tina, well, maybe it started some interesting conversation flowing around the world. I thought the focus on the beer was pretty funny.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michelle. I always enjoy participating in your meme.
Claude, that is probably the only way I'll be able to cultivate the lotus. Thank you for providing the instructions!
Chandramouli, I so enjoy learning about other cultures and their beliefs. I have a suspicion that the push for one-world this-and-that spells disaster for keeping those cultures intact. Who really wants a homogenized world? Smooth out the differences and lose the rich texture.
Rose, I know I would love to stroll through that garden. I wonder how many heirloom varieties they have?
Thank you, sfauthor, for taking the time to comment and providing the link. I've bookmarked it and have started to read it. I like the part of the introduction that states: "although usually read as the story of a man seeking insight and salvation, the Gita can also be read as the story of a man with a conscience being taught to forget it." I see now why so much of Western literature in the 19th and early 20th century was informed and influenced by this body of work.
Troutbirder, I had never given Cicero much attention before, but I'm growing rather fond of him lately.
Marnie, where in AL did you live? Our part of FL is referred to as LA (lower Alabama). I'm not so sure the move to other stories is that much better. I've been hearing more about that never-ending MJ saga again (groan).