Premeditated Resentments

That’s what AA calls “expectations”: premeditated resentments.

Expectations of how the world should be, expectations of others at home and at work, expectations of how I should be, expectations of being able to enjoy my magnolia tree without squirrelly interference, dagnab it.

When reality does not match your expectations
Adjust your expectations.
– Anonymous

So this week, while my expectations of work and the contributions of others are not matching reality, I focused on being grateful for the few magnolia blooms that somehow evaded the local munchers. And for the break from work that this photo-shoot afforded me.

Triptych of magnolia blossoms

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16 Responses to Premeditated Resentments

  1. JIm Taylor says:

    Magnolias are magnificent — but for such a short period. Then they turn into rather drab and uninteresting trees. For a longer lasting pleasure, I prefer the many shades of green and near-green found in a mix of trees: dark jade hawthorn, Granny-apple golden locust, unripe-banana catalpa, flip-flop aspen…

    Alas, I fear my oak tree has died.

    Jim T

    • Isabel Gibson says:

      Jim – I’m a sucker for short-lived blossoms – lilacs, magnolias, rhododendrons – and am not sure that we have as many shades of green here as you list. It would be interesting to get locals to articulate what has special beauty in their place.

  2. Ian Hepher says:

    Expectations, Isabel, are the root of all disappointments. As Ken Kesey (I think) once wrote, “Ask for what you want. Accept what you get.”

    I try to do this, and sometimes I am successful.

    • Isabel Gibson says:

      Ian – 🙂 Sometimes is pretty good. Of course, you could ask for more success, but that sort of gets in an endless do-loop.

    • barbara carlson says:

      Does this go under “pick your battles?” In youth, one tends to fight them all. In middle-age, you pick your battles and in old age, no battle is quite worth the energy. It’s easer to accept life as it comes, expecting less. But is that giving up?

      • Isabel Gibson says:

        Barbara – Yes, that would be one categorization. “Appreciate what you have instead of whining about what you don’t” would be another.

  3. Tom Watson says:

    I walk almost daily through the cemetery close to my home. It’s a beautiful place to walk. The magnolias are out, as are the tulips and the lilacs.
    This springtime is beautiful.
    Tom

    • Isabel Gibson says:

      Tom – 🙂 Our irises have now come and gone, I think – and some of the bushes are starting to flower. It is a lovely time of year.

  4. I am still jealous that you have magnolias! Good mottos, though.

    • Isabel Gibson says:

      Judith – I know! They seem like they should be a southern-only plant and yet here they are. Lovely, if only fleetingly.

  5. You must have difficulty choosing favourites among your gorgeous photos. These are poetry for the eyes and soul. Your skills have made it possible to luxuriate in their beauty whenever you choose and have multiplied that pleasure to us. Their shapes, colours, and textures have found the perfect light through your artistry to reveal their simplicity and complexity. Such magnificence is renewable, even if their season is sort. And the gift to us comes minus those pesky squirrels.

    • Isabel Gibson says:

      Laurna – Anais Nin said, “We write to taste life twice.” Maybe we take photos for the same reason. You make a good point – photos are a renewable feast, sans squirrels.

  6. Lorna says:

    Gratitude. The gift of all gifts!

  7. barbara carlson says:

    There is nothing that can top a magnolia tree in full bloom. Sorry you didn’t get it. Squirrels are buggers that way. Isn’t there something you can put on the blossoms that deters them? Like paprika or ?

    • Isabel Gibson says:

      Barbara – I’ve tried cayenne-infused water but the application is a problem. I’m not crazy about spraying cayenne water over my head, even if I had a suitable dispenser. But even a few – we’re up to 10 or so now – are fabulous.

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