When Nature Says No, But Art Says Yes

For the past 25+ years, on and off, I've tried growing lotus flowers in our little backyard pond. The one we built when our girls were young that's hosted everything from decade-old koi to sneaky herons looking for lunch.

Every few summers I'd try again having forgotten my previous frustrations. "Maybe this year?!" But between Flagstaff's short growing season and chilly evenings, my actual pond has stayed stubbornly lotus-free.

Looking through some of my old pond photos, I laughed at myself. Why was I still fighting with Mother Nature after all these years? Maybe some dreams don't need to be abandoned—just reimagined.

That's how "Quiet Bliss" was born. I created the beautiful lotus that never survived in my pond, surrounding it with all the sun-bright leaves and little frog friends I'd always pictured. Using my own hand-printed papers and collected treasures, I finally had my perfect little pond world.

When local wood artist Steve Halgrimson created a gorgeous round maple frame for it, it felt just right—like finally putting a circle around a long-held dream.

The funny thing about some dreams? Sometimes they're just waiting for us in unexpected places. My lotus didn't bloom in water, but it found another way to show up in my life. And this version brings joy to more people than my backyard version ever could have.

What dream of yours might be waiting for a different path to become reality?