Sight Unseen — Donna Hopkins

*Resilient Purple Conelfowers, June 2025*

We’re in the midst of a week-long heat wave here in Virginia, with temperatures in the 105 degree range. Three is a hot breeze that swirls around every living thing. It makes the heat feel less oppressive and this is a slight relief. But the whole atmosphere feels foreboding, as though storms are building. In the air and in our hearts. It makes me feel unsettled.

I walk out into the garden and stare at the purple cone flowers, petals wilting but stems still strong and upright. I pass them everyday but hardly notice them in my rush to get inside to the cool air conditioning. Today I linger in the heat, letting it settle into my bones. I squat and take a few pictures of the flowers in-situ, but nothing soothes the sun’s glare. I finally concede and cut a few stems bringing them to shade and laying them out on brightly colored cloth. I think about what color and texture might complement the flowers and how they make me feel.

I wonder how it is that I keep circling back to these still life images and resolve to stop overthinking and just enjoy the practice, because not every story that my brain tells me is one I need to live inside. I don’t have to fix it all. I just have to take care of what is right in front of me. I don’t need to think more. I just need to slow down.