Balance and Bicycles

Remember learning to ride a bicycle?  Along with tying your shoelaces for the first time, learning to ride a two-wheeler is one of life's milestones.  Maybe you made an easy transition from a tricycle to a bicycle, or, perhaps you needed those little rear "training wheels" for extra balance, and peace of mind.  Almost everyone had Mum or Dad run alongside them, providing a guiding hand - until they quietly let go, and just watched. You rode like the wind, all the way to the other side of the next door neighbour's driveway.

You did it!  It was an unforgettable accomplishment.  More than just having learned to ride a bike, you gained independence.  Freedom.

That exhilarating feeling of gliding like a bird, of wind-in-your-hair freedom, that sense of being able to take yourself anywhere you want to go, to explore your world -  are the archetypal experiences which make the simple bicycle such a powerful iconic symbol.

Even before turning my floral photography hobby into a business, I was scouting for a lovely bicycle, with a front wicker basket for carrying a bouquet of fresh flowers.  They're usually propped against the wall of a hipster coffee house, owner no where to be found;  or, whizzing past me on the streets of Toronto. Last weekend, I saw the prettiest turquoise-mint green bike, steps from my front door.  I overcame my shyness, and approached a stranger to ask if I could please borrow her bicycle for a floral photo shoot in the park next door.  She kindly agreed!

Michelle Golfman took a short break from her hectic schedule at Havergal College, a private school for girls in mid-town Toronto, to bring her bike to the park next door, for the noon hour photo shoot. Earlier in the day, florists Lisa and Michelle Priestap, the two sisters who own Florigens Design, were taking delivery of fresh flowers, which they knew would work well with both the turquoise mint coloured bike, and the mid-August flowers blooming in the park.  Lisa is expecting her first "little sprout" in a few weeks.  All three women know a thing or two about balancing home and career.

That balancing act is not always easy.  There are many bumps in the road of life which can throw us off kilter.  Like the kid who falls off the bike, we just get back on that bicycle, take a deep breath, and find our balance again. 

Finding that sense of balance is often as simple as stopping to smell the roses...even if only in photographs.  A beautiful image restores a sense of calm.  It's why I do, what I do.  Flowers and floral photography are my natural pain and stress relievers, or endorphins.  This is my way of sharing that sense of well being with you.   

    

This blog is a little bike ride for the soul.  It's a chance to take your tired, overworked, and overwhelmed mind for a spin.  A chance to relax from life's stresses, rejuvenate your creativity, and improve your outlook.  It's not just for widows - everyone enjoys daydreaming upon a flower.  I hope these pictures brighten your day, and take you on a happy journey. May this be a day when you ride like the wind!

Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.