Appreciating a Simple Garden

Growing up in America can make it difficult to appreciate the simple and little accomplishments in life. Most things are handed to Americans (me included) on a silver platter and we've been trained as a society to demand the best of the best because we "deserve it". I'll save my opinions on that for another post :o), but today I want to share my growth for appreciation. Approaching almost 2 years in Dubai has been a very humbling experience.

Living in Dubai in 2013 is nothing like it was just a mere 20 years ago and while it's hard to find drastic changes in America over the span of 20 years it's not uncommon to find drastic changes in a short amount of time out here.

Source
The famous Shaykh Zayed road after (circa 2005) and before (late 80's) 

While massive stretches of land have been significantly transformed this image is still vary common across Dubai and the UAE. 

Picking up my kids from school and walking back to our car. 

Z2 decides to take the more adventurous desert route.

The sight of open land is very enjoyable and peaceful, but all that sand can be overwhelming at times. Though, for every sandy landscape there is also a colorful and cheery garden just around the corner. 

Gold and Diamond Park near More Cafe 

It's a simple garden in a courtyard between numerous buildings, but when I saw it I felt so drawn to it. Pink shrubs for ground cover, green bushes and palm trees, not to mention that interesting pyramid structure in the background. 

Someone could easily pass this garden with out thinking twice about it. I, on the other hand, couldn't stop staring at it and thinking how lovely it was. Don't you think it's special, considering it's in the middle of the desert? Of course there are more intricate and beautiful gardens, but this one was beautifully in it's own right.  So many of these beautiful spaces are gradually changing the landscape of Dubai and frankly I'm enjoying every little bit of it. Have you seen any spaces that have increased appreciation in your heart? Thanks for stopping by! 

-Debora