Gossamer Dreams- Delicate

/ May 22, 2024
Dragonfly at rest.

Dragonfly wings appear delicate but power one of the most agile fliers and hunters. Their four wings can move independently allowing them to fly up, down, forward, backward, right, left, or even hover. Dragonflies have been on earth for 320 million years with larger ancestors having wingspans up to 30″. Currently, there are about 3000 species living on every continent except Antarctica.

~

delicate beauty

belie awesome hunters

gossamer wings soar

~

delicate visions

take flight on gossamer dreams

portents of freedom

~

This week Ann-Christine asks us to explore what it means to be delicate in her LAPC challenge #300. She offered many beautiful examples from Japanese art which I enjoy, including calligraphy, bonsai, cork sculpture, painting, and haiku.

We often associate delicate with being fragile and/or weak, yet that is not always true. Here are some photos that reflect the paradoxes of being delicate.

~

Spider webs are a paradox of delicacy. Although they look delicate and fragile, spider webs are incredibly strong and flexible. Generally, spider silk is considered stronger by weight than steel.

“As delicate as a flower, as tender as rose petals, choosing to be tender and kind in a harsh environment is not weakness, it’s courage.” ~ Luffina Lourduraj

~

My parents’ wedding day.

~

Relationships can be delicate, grown with love and nurturing, or drained with neglect. My parents’ relationship died from neglect, alcohol, and other related issues. Sadly, I’ve had few models of love in my life to emulate and build upon. I try to keep my heart open and tender, but I’m very cautious, especially since Mom’s death last year.

~

Frost-covered leaves. A delicate and ephemeral beauty that melted away like gossamer dreams.

Let’s enjoy life’s delicate beauty and joy, and find the courage to be both delicate and strong.

Related posts

87 thoughts on “Gossamer Dreams- Delicate”

  3. What a terrific — and beautiful — reminder that delicacy and fragility also contain strength and flexibility. Spider webs! Dragonfly wings! More things to be amazed by (and grateful for) here on planet earth! I also loved the photo of your parents and honor the sadness/pain of their marriage not flowing so well due to “neglect, alcohol, and other related issues.” Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  7. A beautiful and touching post, Brad. I love the dragonfly image. Your thoughts/poem are so beautifully expressed. Keeping your heart open is so much harder when you don’t have the support/good examples from family. But it’s wonderful that you’re trying. Take care.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  13. I love your post and I just wrote 2 poems about dragonflies, Brad. They are such powerful critters. Did you capture that shot? Amazing if so. I’d love to use it if possible? I love your poems and wonderful thoughts Brad and appreciate the challenge. Delicate yet powerfully written.. ❤️

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  15. This is such a lovely post Brad, despite the sad piece about your parents. Love is as delicate as any of your other beautiful examples. Having seen and photographed many dragonflies I had no idea about their wings’ capabilities so that was a terrific add.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  16. Dragonflies are fascinating to me. They look like some weird sort of alien creature and their wings are just beautiful. I find it particularly interesting that you and I both included not only a dragonfly photo (mine’s a very different type) but a family photo. I wouldn’t have expected another mind to go to a relationship in response to “delicate.” I’m not sure what that says about either of us :-), but it was fun.

    janet

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  17. Touching post, Brad. Your dragonfly steals the show, it is stunning. Relationships, feelings are delicate things, needing work and care to florish, I wish you well. I think your mindset will get you through.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  21. Life shares with us how delicate she is, yet within this structure lie attributes of courage and strength for us to dare choose to embody. Nothing is for certain or guaranteed, we must learn to trust ourself to journey and experience everything… knowing we will be ok, no matter what!

    I know for sure that I have no regrets about my loving others as it has helped fully nurture myself!

    Beautiful dragonfly and spiderweb, and of course your parents… so happy, so sad but they planted a seed of love within you, for you to discover and nurture yourself.

    keep smiling Brad and focusing on living your dream, everything’s becoming possible now!❤️ much love x

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  22. This is a beautiful post, Brad, and a vulnerable one. Thank you for sharing your joy and pain with us and for always doing so with honesty. I hope love unexpectedly shows up one day and knocks you right on your ass. You deserve to feel the excitement and bliss it would bring to your life. Until then, I hope you keep finding magic and joy in the beauty around you. You are grieving, and the world looks different now, and it’s so easy to get stuck; I’ve been there myself. So I offer this to you, as I am continually telling myself the same thing recently…you can do anything you want. And there is so much freedom and possibility in that. Big hugs, my friend. ❤️

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you for the kind words and encouragement Tanya. Yes, I’m still adjusting to mom’s absence along with years of passivity that I need to overcome if I’m going to start new adventures, relationships, etc. And yes, I do have freedom and lots of options if I can embrace the new and find some gumption to change. 🙏

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  23. Brad, such beauty and strength of these wonderful dragonflies, equally power and depth in your poems! I love your use of ‘gossamer’ and think this is my new favourite word! 😀 Your post weaves eloquently to exploring relationships, the strength within fragility – and yet sadly for some breaks. Take care of your tender soul, Brad.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  24. LOVE is an intricate dance of daring to step out into those commitments and relationships.. But as your beautiful photographs show, Your Mum and Dad, Dared to, and no matter how long or how briefly they were together, they looked happy on their special day.. Grasping their moments of Joy..

    The Dragonflies gossamer wings, so delicate they could be dashed by a heavy rainstorm, but still it dares to fly..

    The Spiders wonderful web, weaved with patience knowing that the wind could tear it apart..
    They continue to hold their fragility of existence with Trust..

    Daring to step out from our comfort zones is a huge challenge and takes great courage.. As we all of us are asked at times to take those leaps of faith..

    I sincerely hope dear Brad, that you can trust your own compass to venture out into the unknown, whether that be the exploration in nature or within deeper relationships…

    ‘It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’ comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem In Memoriam:27, 1850: 

    💖 Much love dearest Brad.. 💖

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  27. Wow Brad. Just wow. Dragonflies are not only delicate and strong, to me they are symbol of spirituality and gratefulness. Not sure why, but that’s what I experience when one lands on my hand. In fact, my upcoming children’s book (3rd one! in the Fall!) features a magical dragonfly. Nice serendipity, yes?

    And yes, love is very delicate yet can be as strong as that lacy spider web. So is hope. And trust. And faith in the aforementioned. I wish you all of that.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  28. Great dragonfly shot, Brad. The educational bit is new to me…so 👍👍

    Your poem is lovely, thank you.

    Your parent reality sounds familiar. My parent(s) (father/step father) thing is a shambles. They didn’t last… alcoholism, cruelty, idiocy, etc. I ran away at 16, almost 17. Regretted never a day. Hate no one.

    Yeah… no delicacy there!

    Fab post. Be well!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  29. The detail in the dragonfly photo is phenomenal! The frosted leaves are great, too! Keeping your heart open and tender, but with caution, is a wise balance. When you write you’ve had few models of love in your life to emulate and build upon, I’m hoping there have been at least one or two good models. My husband vowed never to be like his father, but his maternal grandparents were wonderful models.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  31. Wow, Brad…your parents look like movie stars!!

    I get it…when you don’t have a positive experience or role model it can be difficult to reach for the stars…Here’s to finding the perfect love…something tells me it always starts with ourselves…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Your turn!