Hummingbird Profiles #2 – Ganbatte 頑張って

Hummingbird Profiles #2, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (click on photo to enlarge)

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hummingbird miracles
and determined perseverance
nature’s masterpiece
>>:::<<

I’ve been a resident in my mother’s hospital room at the cancer hospital this past week.  She did well with the surgery and will require several weeks of recuperation, but we are playing the waiting game again with pathology results.  We do our best to persevere.

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Here is the second image in my hummingbird photomanipulation series.  This is a male Black-chinned hummingbird, one of the first hummingbirds that usually arrive at our feeders for the season.  Since purple is one of my favorite colors, I love the glistening purple gorget when the light catches their throat just right.  Hummingbirds symbolize many things, as I’ve posted in the past, two of which are perseverance and overcoming the seemingly impossible.

In my opinion, hummingbirds are one of nature’s many great masterpieces!

The Japanese word for perseverance, to not give up or to “do your best” is:
Ganbatte  頑張って (がんばって)

…and more formal and more polite:
Ganbatte kudasai  頑張ってください

Related articles:

• Hummingbird Profiles #1 – Joy
• “G” Challenge: Graceful

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Hummingbird Profiles #1 – JOY

Hummingbird Profiles #1, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (click on photo to enlarge)

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rubies emeralds diamonds
precious gems dazzle in the sky
hummingbird splendor
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First of all, thank you very much for all the kind well wishes for my mother and our family in my recent postings.  I really appreciate and am touched by all your supportive and encouraging words.  Last week was hectic with more tests and procedures, but we are in the “waiting mode” right now – waiting for test results, waiting for surgery, etc., etc.  Cancer is a very wicked thing.

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Last year, I created a few photomanipulations of hummingbird photos I took in our yard.  I intended to post them at the time, but I would develop a brain cramp whenever I tried to create a blog posting using the images…that is, until now.  It could be that now feels like the right time to post these images because hummingbirds symbolize what is needed so much right now:

A common symbolism of the hummingbird is JOY!
(Joy in Japanese is 喜び, which is read yorokobi.)

Tiniest of all birds, the hummingbird is quite spectacular.  It also symbolizes powerful energy, the ability to accomplish the seemingly impossible, and flexibility in life circumstances.  When in the air, their wings are continually in motion, which symbolizes tirelessness and perseverance.

I start off my hummingbird photomanipulation series today with an image of a male Broad-tailed hummingbird.  I find his pose sweet and adorable.  Also, my mother’s top two favorite colors are red and green, similar to the beautiful colors on this bird.

If you are in need of JOY today or at any time, I hope this image will bring you some.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Forward

Moving Forward Through Storms, a photo by Fergiemoto on Flickr.  (click on photo to enlarge)

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the snow will still fall
paths and journeys will shift
moving forward
>>:::<<

This is a combined photo and doodle image, which I worked on this morning in the warmth of my home and surrounded outside by one of a few snowstorms we are receiving this week.  Also, this blog, which includes my explorations and experiments with photography, digital manipulations, doodling, haiku, etc., was created in 2011 as a therapeutic way for me to move forward in the midst of many developing health issues and chronic pain.

Here is a larger version of the doodle.  I created it on my iPad using the Paper by 53 and ArtStudio apps.  Before moving forward with more doodling recently, my attempts consisted of very bad stick figure drawings.  🙂

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This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge
is to share a picture that says FORWARD to you.

 Linking up with:
PHOTO ART FRIDAY
TEXTURE TUESDAY
(kk textures used: edith and sybil)

“O” Challenge: Okayama Fairytale

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young and resolute
fighting forces of evil
Japanese fairytale
>>:::<<

Okayama Prefecture Japan is located in the south western part of the country and is where some of my ancestors lived.  It is on the island of Honshu and located between the Seto Inland Sea to the south and the Chugoku Mountains to the north.  It’s nickname is “The Land of Sunshine” because the number of days with rainfall less than 1 millimeter is the highest in Japan.  The capital is Okayama city.

Rather than tell you much more about Okayama Prefecture, I thought I would do something different and introduce you to a popular and delightful Japanese fairytale strongly associated with Okayama, named “Momotaro” or “Peach Boy.”  Peaches, and other fruits, are famous products of Okayama, and a Momotaro Festival is held there annually.  The capital, Okayama City (population of over 700,000), named its main street Momotarō-Odōri in the Peach Boy’s honor, and you’ll find statues from the tale along the way.  I don’t have a photo to post, so I created the above doodle instead to represent the story.

“In the old days, the peach was a symbol of long life and was also believed to be effective in warding off devils.”  (japanese.about.com)

I remember hearing the story of Momotaro when I was a little girl, and I have a version of the story that is in both English and Japanese.  Here is a summary of the fairytale taken from Wikitravel: