Inspiration: Olive Tree's Photography Contest

In the eighth grade I wrote a short story, about a beautiful garden inhabited by fairies, tended by a daughter and her mother. I did my share of research, looking up many different plants, and when I stumbled across the passion flower I fell in love. Since then, it has been my favorite flower, and I desperately wanted to see one in person, though for three rough years I hadn’t. I had almost forgotten the flower I loved, until this summer. Walking from the beach to our hotel, my mother yelled for me to come see something. So I went back, and tucked in undergrowth between a bush and a walkway was a passion flower. “Isn’t that that flower you said you liked?” she asked me, and I was overjoyed. I ended up hanging upside-down from the railing with her steadying my legs to get a better look and a decent picture, and I’m so glad I did (click to see larger image):

This picture inspires me, because I know not to give up on the little things. It reminded me to be patient when it comes to my dreams, big and small. It was a beautiful surprise, and helped to relight my fire, my passion, for photography. And for beauty, and for life.