Dear Diary, I'm feeling pure gratitude & astonishment! - - this peony, the first of the season, flourished in my black-thumb garden and today it reached a peak of glorious color and shape! Holy cow. A surge of delight, awe, tidals through me every time I see its velvety perfection. Maybe the reason I (we) enjoy flowers so much is that to gaze upon them - - to breathe deeply the fragrance - - transports one completely; it's almost a celestial experience, a brief but profound respite from every worry. And I gladly drown in this humble reminder of the magnificent gifts given by the earth (we slowly destroy) and thank a God (I don't particularly believe in) for its small, spectacular, existence. . "First Peony', Black-Thumb Garden series, 05/26/22, Brooklyn, NY. Photo © Daryl-Ann Saunders . . . . . #peony #flower #blackthumbgarden #garden #floral #fragrantflower #darylannsaundersphotography #grow #nature #naturephotography #earthsgifts #flowerstagram #flowerphotography #flowerpower #floweroftheday #flowerlove #gardenlover #peonyflower #stilllife #stilllifephotography #stilllifephoto #stilllifeflower #nycgarden #urbangarden #brooklyngarden (at Bushwick Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeCQiYYFl7l/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=