Fishhook Cactus Patterns © 2011 Bo Mackison

There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle. ~ Albert Einstein

I think there might be a third way that Albert didn’t mention– trying to live your life as if everything is a miracle, but only succeeding part of the time because our human tendencies get in the way.

When I step on a cactus thorn in my stocking feet…because I was only going to take a few steps on the patio…and my sandals were in the front room…and I took the chance that there wouldn’t be any wind-blown cactus spines on my patio…and the cactus spines won… Well, then it is a bit hard to focus on the miracle of cactus spines.

When I am taking a macro-photo of a yucca plant, and I’m moving closer and closer a few inches at a time, and not paying close attention to where my body is is relation to where the sharp points of the yucca are, and I jab my stomach into five yucca stabbers, and end up having to search for band-aids because my stomach has tiny, bleeding puncture wounds in several places…well, then, once more, it is hard to focus on the miracle of those heavily armored desert plants.

But, when I am looking at a fishhook barrel cactus through a macro lens, and I see the delicate overall patterns, and the overlapping stickers all aligned like dancers in a tightly choreographed arrangement, and the contrasting pinks against the cactus greens, then once again, I see the miracle of each desert plant.

The miracle of life.