Lens-Artists Challenge #52 – Serenity

“To taste life, so true and real. Sweet serenity.”

Jonathan Lamas

LONE TREE – FRENCHMAN BAY

This past week my husband and I traveled to Bar Harbor, Maine for a family wedding. The weather forecast was awful but happily for the most part, wrong. Skies cleared and the sun broke through just in time for the outside service. As we moved indoors for the reception the skies darkened once again and rain fell hard on the area we’d left just a few minutes earlier.

ROOM WITH A VIEW

“Don’t underestimate the power of humor and the ability to laugh at yourself to deliver peace and serenity.”

Charles Glassman

As I wandered around the beautiful nooks and crannies of Bar Harbor, I saw many classic New England homes fronting beautiful Frenchman Bay. Most had large porches and beautiful gardens. I found myself smiling at the thought that the gardeners’ work might last longer than the number of days residents enjoy the results before winter’s cold returns. On the other hand, the serenity one must feel sitting on the bay-front porch as the flowers bloom behind must surely be well worth the effort.

LOWCOUNTRY FROM UP HIGH

“You cannot perceive beauty but with a serene mind. “

Henry David Thoreau

Serenity is defined as being calm, peaceful. Flying in a small commercial airplane would not seem a reasonable place to find it, but for me a return to the lush greenery and meandering waters of the low country always brings with it a sense of peace and comfort. I captured the iPhone image above as we flew over the rivers and creeks surrounding Charleston on the approach to our local airport.

adirondack chairs overlooking Cougar golf course

BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE

“Nature is never other than serene, even in a thunderstorm.”

Frank Lloyd Wright

Once back home, we enjoyed a visit to the most recent neighborhood addition, the new clubhouse and revitalized landscapes of Cougar Point. It was a beautiful, yes serene, evening if a bit warm compared to the dry, cooler air of the northeast. 😊

DAISY, DAISY – KIAWAH ISLAND

“There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and elevates it.”

Washington Irving

I think Washington Irving had it right in his quote above. Personally I find nature and its scenery of all kinds helps me to achieve serenity in this crazy world. What about you? What is it that helps you to find serenity in the face of growing chaos? We look forward to seeing your responses – remember to link them here and to include the Lens-Artists tag to appear in our WP Reader section.

PLEASE NOTE: We are hosting a special Lens-Artists post at noon EST next Saturday, July 6th, to celebrate the One Year Anniversary of our Lens-Artists challenge. Please be sure to check on posts from Patti, Ann-Christine, Amy and me as we publish special posts to mark the occasion. We look forward to seeing you then.

Last week Amy invited us to share some of the UNIQUE aspects of our world and your responses definitely rose to the challenge.

HAVE YOU SEEN THESE:

Irene of Heaven’s Sunshine shared thoughts on her 40th anniversary celebration

Izzy of Isadora’s Art and Photography shared an artist’s version of the Tree of Life

Nurul from Stories of a Wanderer shared a story of Prison Island – which never had a prison!

New to Lens-Artists? Click here to learn how to join us. And thanks as always to those of you who continue to support and encourage us.