It's the Tiny Things - The Secret Adventure

I spied one of my favorite magical creatures ✨

Last Monday it was my birthday. I don’t usually make any grand plans. I permit myself to do whatever I want. I can neglect my schedule, set aside my paid work, and get lots of yummy food.

So when my husband told me he had a surprise, I was not sure what to expect. Maybe breakfast out somewhere new?

After he dropped my daughter off at school, we got in the car and drove. 90 minutes north to be exact. It was clear skies and 70 degrees.

Then we arrived.

I’d known about this place for years, having spent many seasons watching the live cams, waiting for the poppies to arrive. They’re fleeting, and the bloom usually brings a chaotic surge of weekend traffic to this rural stretch – a prospect that always kept me away. But on a Monday morning, the hills belonged to us. We had the trails and the vibrant hillsides almost entirely to ourselves.

I moved slowly along the trails, pausing to photograph the tapestry of wildflowers. As I knelt in the grass, a blur of wings brushed past me. At first, I was sure it was a tiny hummingbird – until it landed. It felt like a figment of my imagination come to life; there, right in front of me, was a creature I had spent hours drawing in meticulous detail, finally stepping out of my sketchbook and into the world.

There it was: a White-lined Sphinx moth. I’ve spent so much time with these creatures on paper, yet I have never seen them in the wild. I’d almost given up hope of a real-life encounter, so when it appeared, I couldn't believe my eyes. I spent several minutes in a frantic dance, trying to catch its speed with my camera lens, but it was too quick. Every shot was just a ghost of a wing next to a poppy. Finally, I tucked my camera away and just watched it get carried away with the wind - then I moved on.

We spent hours walking the hillsides and discovering wildflowers. My photos can’t quite capture the beauty of the subtle sage blue foliage against the olive green leaves. Or the soft lilac flowers against the burnt sienna brush. Even the color of the dirt was a rich swatch in the vast palette of this desert full of wildflower blooms. Some things can’t quite be caught in a photo - but I will always try.

My husband told me it looked like there were stars on my face.

We got back in the car, preparing for a long drive home. I opened my photos to see what I had captured. I was about to delete one that seemed a mistake - a shot of the dirt. Then I caught a glimpse of some pink and zoomed in. And there it was…

My moth. The white-lined sphinx. So clear. So beautiful. My magical creature.

Kind of felt like a present from the universe if I’m being honest.

Well, and this guy…

Until Next Time 🌙 ✨
Kim

P.S. Please leave your Tiny Things below and spread delight to all of us who love to read them.

This week I turned 52. I was listening to an interview with the filmmaker Baz Luhrmann. They were talking his song Everybody is free (to wear sunscreen) and how it hit people back in the 90s.

I had to listen to it again. I kind of remembered it. But listening to the lyrics made me feel this profound feeling of sadness and joy.

How many years do we waste trying to live up to someone else’s version of happiness and what we think we should be? We spend so much time longing and hoping for a life that might never even be meant for us. When all along, we never see the one right in front of us. We have to open ourselves up to the possibilities, let ourselves be seen, and trust our instincts to carry us there.

It is never too late to begin.