there can be no lotus flower without the mud

Day 7: "Outdoors": Butterfly photos are rare for me, and though I experimented with a few closer shots, this is the one that I liked the best. The contrast of the freedom of the butterfly, the colors of the flowers, and the drainage device in the background remind me of the interconnectedness of life, and that our attempts to separate the beautiful from the mundane often have unintended, disastrous results.

[the title quotation is by Thich Nhat Nanh, and reads in its entirety: "Most people are afraid of suffering. But suffering is a kind of mud to help the lotus flower of happiness grow. There can be no lotus flower without the mud."]