The perfect little rose

I was wandering around my boyfriend's rose garden on Saturday morning when I came upon the perfect little red rose. The petals were a deep velvety red and it was just beginning to open up. Naturally, I photographed it from a variety of angles. This side view is my favorite. I have addedd it, and a picture from another perspective to my etsy shop (artbyhelen.etsy.com).

My life has been in turmoil recently. In April I was entrenched in a deep depression and after a medication change, came out of the depression only to begin to rapidly cycle between mania and depression for the past two weeks. I was running out of hope...how could I keep living my life between these two extremes?

Then I found this little rose. It was hidden beneath two dying roses, just peeking out. I could have easily missed it. It's radiant beauty, deep, blood red color, and velvety soft petals temporarily pulled my attention away from myself and my misery, allowing me to marvel at Nature's grand design, complexity, and beauty. If something as perfect as this rose could exist, perhaps I too could find harmony and beauty in my life.

The next day I went back to look at the perfect little rose again. It was wilting, it's delicate petals burned by the intense sunlight. My moment of hope and clarity was over, the depression had returned...