Monday, August 15, 2011

After the devastation


Ravaged
London, ON, August 2011
About this photo: We're winding down our Thematic theme, rough, today and getting ready for the new one that's set to launch at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Quick hint, if it's made of glass, you'll want to get it ready for our upcoming theme. In the meantime, it's not too late to do the rough thing. Just go here.
At first glance, the tree in the middle of a beautifully landscaped and equipped park doesn't seem to stand out from any other. To the hundreds of parents and kids skittering every which way to find the right soccer field at the right time, it's just another tree, a taken-for-granted source of shade for some, a near-invisible part of the background for others.

But after I sat underneath it during a rare quiet moment in between games, I noticed something was just a little bit off: I could see light coming through the leaves. I'm guessing whatever little bugs who ate multiples of their body weight in leaf bits were by now long gone, no doubt devouring some other defenseless canopy somewhere else in this city that laughably calls itself the Forest City.

The week I took this shot, the city announced plans to update its tree-filled logo. I'm guessing they'll steer clear of scenes like this one. Reality, after all, has no place in civic marketing.

Your turn: May the week that lies ahead for us all be nowhere near as rough as this tree has apparently had it. How will you avoid the rough edges of life in the days ahead?

3 comments:

Somewhere round about said...

Over here in the UK, the week ahead includes *A level results day on Thursday, with the great potential for rough edges....
(* the exams which provide the result needed for university entrance)


As our family includes a waiting offspring, I shall be avoiding the rough edges ( hopefully), by thinking before speaking and keeping a very low profile. Traditionally everyone tend to be a little scratchy this week....

Little Nell said...

Well, that lacy tree has a beauty all of its own, but I fear it’s not long for this world. Avoiding the rough edges is tricky too, but I guess keeping a sense of proportion about events which threaten to overwhelm us is the most important, and trying not to stack up all the negatives. A glass half-full is best!

21 Wits said...

...hmm with a smile on my face and stopping to see the little things that often get missed in our hurry to finish our duties throughout the day.....yes I will appreciate those things we often forget to say thank-you for...by the end of the day there won't be time to think about the rough stuff...!