Wednesday Vignette: Looking for the bright spots

In a painful year, the last several weeks have been especially bad, as hurricane after hurricane  battered the US and the Caribbean Islands, a major earthquake hit Mexico, a madman attacked concertgoers in Las Vegas, the White House continues its chaotic bent, and fires now ravage large areas of California.  Making donations to help those affected by some of these events feels like applying a band-aid when a tourniquet is needed.  Honestly, if I had a hidey-hole somewhere, I'd have crawled into it weeks ago.  But I don't and life goes on, making its daily demands and, like most of us, I put one foot in front of another and try to move forward.  It's trite perhaps but the sight of natural beauty provides, if not perspective, at least temporary respite.

This is a silk floss tree (Chorisa speciosa 'Laska Beauty') in the parking area of the South Coast Botanic Garden