Roots 2023

May 2022 to May 2023 was one of the most difficult years I’ve ever had. It felt as though my life was crumbling to pieces and before I could deal with the fallout of one disaster, another would occur. Before going on a study abroad trip to Ireland I needed something to swoop in and rearrange all the pieces of my life because I just couldn’t seem to make them all fit back together again. The exceptional presence of flowers, as well as the protection and utilization of nature as a whole in the Burren inspired me and allowed me to more clearly see their beauty, and by extension the beauty of the Burren. Another thing that drew me to flowers is their ability to survive. Many of the flowers depicted in this piece are not originally from Ireland; they found their way from far off places and adapted to a new environment; they survived. On our second day in the Burren, someone commented that the flowers were so beautiful that they felt bad stepping on them. At first I shared this slight guilt, however as I walked through fields, hiked up the mountains, or just walked anywhere, I found myself in awe of their strength and sheer will to live. Even though they had been stepped on and pushed around, the flowers were still there and they were still beautiful. This attribute was something that I had failed to see in myself prior to this point. After spending 3 weeks in the Burren, I regained clarity through reconnecting with myself, other peole, and the world around me on a scale that I never have before.