Nature is a constant reminder of all that is beautiful in this world. And every season brings us joy in many colours.

I have always been enchanted by nature. Flowers, especially. All through my childhood, I have steadfastly had a precious bunch of wildflowers clutched in my hand or fragrant jasmines adorning my hair. Now, years later, I prefer to claim their beauty by simply photographing them.

Older now, I yearn to travel to places where flowers grow in abundance. Like the lavender routes in Provence, the woodlands in England, and sunflower fields in Tuscany. The rolling hills of baby blue-eyes in Japan, the flower-filled streets in Spello, and the endless meadows of alpine flowers blanketing the Himalayan valleys. However, life, routine, and unexpected events intervene, postponing dreams to a distant someday. Still, I have been lucky to strike off at least three places from my extensive bucket list. I have walked, mesmerized, amidst the seas of tulips in Holland.

Driven through golden canola fields in the enchanting Normandy countryside.

And closer home, revelled in the spellbinding beauty of our very own Kaas Plateau – more than once too!

Maybe I’ll visit some of the places that remain on my list in the coming years – and that’s a lovely thought to hold on to – but life carries most meaning in the here and now. Which is why, on a whim one morning, I packed my camera and lenses and took a leisurely walk inside my apartment complex.

It was a crisp, cool morning and I stopped to click pictures of the flowers I hurry past every day, without a second glance.

These aren’t the exotic blooms of my wish list, painted in the vibrant colors of my dreams; they’re ordinary blossoms on an ordinary day, alluring, yet lacking the magic of distant, foreign lands. But they’re charming in their own way, affording a sense of joy and harmony to those who take the time to stop, look and appreciate nature’s bountiful gifts.

Maybe there’s a message in all this somewhere. Perhaps nature itself shows us that the happiness we seek is right here, around us…within us. Not in a different place, a different time, or contingent on a different person. And that although some joys may be stored in the future, happiness tastes best when experienced in the present. Because no matter how dismal our today might be, you can still find moments of unexpected joy. Like the delicate water lilies that emerge proudly from murky, muddy waters, giving you a glimpse into the profound heart of nature.

Maybe all we need to do is to look with fresh perspectives, make the most of this moment in time, and focus on the things that brings us a measure of peace in this complicated, uncertain world.

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