{"id":312,"date":"2011-04-11T16:00:35","date_gmt":"2011-04-11T23:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/?p=312"},"modified":"2016-10-14T16:50:45","modified_gmt":"2016-10-14T23:50:45","slug":"natures-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2011\/writing\/natures-lessons\/","title":{"rendered":"Nature&#8217;s Lessons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I continue to be amazed every spring when new growth appears in the garden.\u00a0 All that was dormant awakens and begins again, stronger and larger in many cases. It&#8217;s that surprise element that keeps us enthralled. Like those moments in great novels.<\/p>\n<p>When I was younger and busy juggling a career with raising children, I didn&#8217;t take the time to learn from the lessons in nature. My father was the one who stopped to look, and shared his view. One time it was the new growth on a balsam tree. He had the wisdom to see the gifts of nature.<\/p>\n<p>When plants survive another harsh winter, they show by example their resilience. Despite the cold and the storms, they don&#8217;t give up.<\/p>\n<p>With nature in mind, I hope to re-emerge from my writing chair with new ideas and hope despite the winter of rejections that plague every writer.\u00a0 I painted this garden yesterday.\u00a0 It will be a reminder when fall comes again and the plants take a holiday from being on display.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Flower-Garden1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"319\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2011\/writing\/natures-lessons\/attachment\/flower-garden-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Flower-Garden1.jpg?fit=1600%2C796&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,796\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;DMC-FZ8&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1302534804&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.04&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Flower Garden\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Flower-Garden1.jpg?fit=700%2C348&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-319\" title=\"Flower Garden\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Flower-Garden1-1024x509.jpg?resize=640%2C318\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Flower-Garden1.jpg?resize=1024%2C509&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Flower-Garden1.jpg?resize=300%2C149&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Flower-Garden1.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Flower-Garden1.jpg?w=1400&amp;ssl=1 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I continue to be amazed every spring when new growth appears in the garden.\u00a0 All that was dormant awakens and begins again, stronger and larger in many cases. It&#8217;s that&hellip; <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[88,4],"tags":[9,39,33,5],"class_list":["post-312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life","category-writing","tag-novel","tag-rejection","tag-writer","tag-writing-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1LuVB-52","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":916,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2012\/uncategorized\/life-lessons-in-the-garden\/","url_meta":{"origin":312,"position":0},"title":"Life Lessons in the Garden","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"7 \u041a\u0432\u0456\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was a young girl, I watched my mother plant red salvia and white allysum on both sides of our front walk.\u00a0 At the time, I didn't appreciate what else she was planting. Perhaps, she was also unaware that she was planting more than pretty blooms. Gardens have suggestions\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 &quot;Life&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/P1110715-300x199.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1293,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2013\/writing\/the-meandering-writer\/","url_meta":{"origin":312,"position":1},"title":"The Meandering Writer","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"27 \u041b\u044e\u0442\u043e\u0433\u043e, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I don\u2019t know what it is but lately I\u2019ve been having difficulty getting my footing. Some of it has to do with adjustments in the new year. I know, it\u2019s the end of February, but I\u2019m still feeling disorganized as far as my writing life goes. Part of the problem,\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 &quot;Life&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_0126","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_0126.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6662,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2025\/books\/countdown-to-the-book-launch\/","url_meta":{"origin":312,"position":2},"title":"Countdown to the Book Launch","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"27 \u0421\u0456\u0447\u043d\u044f, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Countdown to Book Launch of ALONG CAME A GARDENER, an inspirational self-help book, based on the author's 25 years working as a psychotherapist in a variety of settings and her love of gardening.","rel":"","context":"\u0423 &quot;Books&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"countdown to book launch","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ACAG-JPEG-Coming-March-15-2025.jpg?fit=788%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ACAG-JPEG-Coming-March-15-2025.jpg?fit=788%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ACAG-JPEG-Coming-March-15-2025.jpg?fit=788%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ACAG-JPEG-Coming-March-15-2025.jpg?fit=788%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3772,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2018\/writing\/as-nature-winds-down-fall-stirs-a-writers-passion-once-more\/","url_meta":{"origin":312,"position":3},"title":"As Nature Winds Down, Fall Stirs A Writer&#8217;s Passion Once More","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"11 \u0416\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"As Nature winds down its work, I find the impetus to get back to writing. With its blazing colors and cooler temperatures, fall has given me the lift I needed after a smoky summer in British Columbia, that saw wildfires cloud our skies and made our\u00a0air uncomfortable to breathe. Distractions\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"a writer's passion","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/fall-leaves.png?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/fall-leaves.png?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/fall-leaves.png?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3133,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2017\/writing\/a-writer-takes-stock-in-february\/","url_meta":{"origin":312,"position":4},"title":"A Writer Takes Stock In February","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"23 \u041b\u044e\u0442\u043e\u0433\u043e, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As a writer, I've enjoyed February so far, even though the early weeks brought some disappointment. It was a rough winter by Pacific Coast standards. We normally get little snow, but this year the big snow dumps did some damage. We were lucky though to get away with just a\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/crocus.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/crocus.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/crocus.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/crocus.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/crocus.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1405,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2013\/writing\/the-art-in-good-writing\/","url_meta":{"origin":312,"position":5},"title":"The Art in Good Writing","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"4 \u0427\u0435\u0440\u0432\u043d\u044f, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Who\u2019d have thought I\u2019d learn what it takes to write well at a Painters' Weekend?\u00a0 It\u2019s one attended by many of the best artists in British Columbia. They come annually to Painters Lodge in Campbell River to demonstrate their technique, show slide presentations and participate in panel discussions. What I\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 &quot;Art&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Painters' Lodge, Campbell River","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/P1030254-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}