Ulysses Butterfly, Australia
On this holiday, one that is shared across the globe, here are a few of earth’s wild and worldly inhabitants to remind us how to find peace.
Enjoy the gifts of food
Purple Finch, California, USA
and water, and help those who do not have it.
Zebra, Zambia, Africa
Take in the glories of nature wherever it appears.
Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, Costa Rica, Central America
Practice courage and perseverance,
Lioness and African Buffalo, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, Africa
and navigate the dark.
Northern Potoo, Mexico
Paddle through adversity.
Domestic cattle, Belize, Central America
Take time to relax.
Basilisk Lizard, Belize, Central America
Find whimsy
Hippopotamus, Okavango Delta, Botswana, Africa
and be flexible.
Spectacled Flying Fox Bat, Australia
May each day begin with song
Common Yellowthroat, Horicon Marsh, Wisconsin, USA
and dance,
Blue-footed Boobies, Galapagos Isl., South America
with times when you shine
Galapagos Sea Lion, Galapagos Isl., South America
and sparkle.
Violet-crowned Woodnymph, Costa Rica, Central America
Take comfort in your community
Parrolets, Mexico
yet reach out beyond it.
White Rhinos, Kenya, Africa
Demonstrate patience and compassion to the young
Thornicroft giraffe mother with baby, Zambia, Africa
and old.
Giant Tortoise, Galapagos Isl., South America
Embrace these basic elements of life,
and you will have peace and love
every day of the year.
Lambs, California, USA
Thank you, my friends, for another great year of sharing.
Written by Jet Eliot
Photo credit: Athena Alexander
Jet Eliot 
Beautiful words and thoughts to start the year … and the photos!! WOW! They are stunning!!
If only we can hold on to this sentiment for the whole year – to appreciate the magic we see around us each day.
How very lovely to have you stop by, Joanne. Thanks so much for your warm comment and visit. And happy new year!
I’m looking forward to reading more 🙂
This was a fantastic collection of photos and ways to enhance our own lives and others, too. Thanks, Jet!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Robin, and happy new year to you.
I liked each one and felt like I had traveled far and wide, Jet.
Happy New Year 2018 Jet!
Lovely photos and nice way of sharing your New Year’s message!
Greetings by Sophie
Thank you, Sophie — Happy new year to you.
Thank you Jet! Greetings by Sophie
Just come across your site and I love it! Sitting here with a cup of tea, reading your experiences of some of the places I’ve also visited and bringing back lots of happy memories.
Thank you for visiting, Jane — I hope you have a happy new year.
What a great perspective to herald in the New Year Jet.
Last year required so much physical rebuilding around the country (homes etc.). Hopefully, this year we will be able to focus more on rebuilding connections in our communities and families!
Wishing you a very Happy New Year Jet!
Thanks for dropping by, Gabe — have a happy new year.
Wish you amazing 2018!:)
Thank you, g.who — I wish the same for you.
Gorgeous post, Jet!
Thanks so very much, Carol, a pleasure to have you stop by. Happy new year!
Looks like you had a lovely year! Happy travelling!
A marvelous collection of photos! I truly enjoy the writing that accompanies them. May the new year be what you wrote, Jet!
Thank you, Hien, my best to you for a year of peace, too…and great birds. 🙂
Thank you, Jet, for this marvelous new year reflection – and for all te wonderful posts in 2017. May 2018 bring you all this and more…joy and happiness ❤
It has been a joy and a source of peace to post weekly, Helen, and I feel so lucky to have found friends like you and others. Thank you for this warm comment, and my best to you for a new year ahead of healing and growing.
Fabulous photos and lots of smiles, Jet! Hope you had a good festive season and that the year ahead is kind to you. 🙂 🙂
I had a quiet holiday season, stayed simple, and joined friends. It was truly lovely. I always like taking part in your adventures, Jo, because you show me a side of the world of which I am not very familiar…I enjoy it. Thank you and cheers to a great new year.
Thank you dear Jet for this beautiful array of Nature’s bounty….what a lovely way to begin the new year. I am thinking of you a great deal as this new year begins…and wish you and yours a year filled with good health, peace and much creativity. Janet 🙂
I am so pleased that you enjoyed the new year’s post, Janet, I enjoyed putting it together. Thank you for your warm and loving message, and for your new year wishes. I hope your new year is also one of joy and creativity, with each day glowing like the grace of a hummingbird, full of light and color.
Thank you 🙂
Lovely photos and thoughts to share with the world at the beginning of a new year full of potential and change. Thank you so very much Jet. May peace always ride on your shoulders
Such a lovely message, thank you, Eddie. Sending my warmest wishes for a new year of happiness, my friend.
thanks so very much
Wonderful words! Be the new year as peaceful as we all wish it to be!
Thank you, Cecilia. Cheers to a new year of peace and happiness.
What a menagerie with which to inaugurate the new year. Happy 2018.
Thank you, Steve. It was a lovely menagerie to remember from times past, and fun to create the post for a fresh, new year. Thank you for stopping by, and Happy 2018 to you too.
Stunning gallery, Jet and Athena! Wishing you a healthy, happy and less troubled 2018. x
My warmest thanks, Fab Four, for the lovely comment. We had a little bit of breakthrough with the house repairs this week, we actually got an electrician to come out and make an estimate. They are currently hard to come by and booked 8-10 months out due to the massive devastation in the area. So even though it is a teeny step, it is a step. And I think your wish for 2018 to be less troubled might actually happen. My warmest thanks for your support and kind wishes…and a very happy new year to you all.
That’s great news, Jet. Your kind and optimistic words bring tears to our eyes. This is a small step, but a step, things are finally moving. Sending you warm greetings and we cross our fingers for a tiny speed increase. xx
Whenever I see something like the blue-foot boobies, I always wonder how Mother & Father Nature came up with them.
Those blue-footed boobies really do look like they’re from another planet, don’t they, Russel? That bright blue and their mating dance…they are unbelievable.
Reblogging this to my sister site, Success Inspirers World 🏆
Thanks for re-blogging, Ana–and happy new year!
Beautiful. Jet, i hope your new year is going well. Have a thriving Thursday.
thanks so much, Teagan — my warmest cheers to you for a blessed new year.
I know I’m late to the New Year party, but I do hope 2018 has started off well for you. Stay grounded in your joy and love of the world. It will carry you through. X
You are not late to the party, Shannon, for what a pleasure it is to receive this warm and supportive and encouraging message. I take it to heart and will stay grounded, for it is true, I so love life on earth…even wildfires. Deepest thanks.
Never too late to reach you again through your thoughtful New Year post,Jet dear,and leave my best wishes.I do hope that every single day of 2018 will be a happy day for you,Athena and the rest of your family 🙂 Btw,what an origiative post to welcome the new year!Glorious all your nature photos and brillianly connected with our lives!Your concept reminds me of a quote that I so much value :
“Have I done all to keep the air fresh? Have I cared enough about the water? Have I left the eagle to soar in freedom? Have I done everything I could to earn my grandchild’s fondness? Chief Dan George 🙂
Dear Doda, I am utterly delighted to have received your visits here today. Glad you enjoyed the new year message, and I hope you have found beauty and peace in these first 2.5 months of 2018. I am honored to receive the loving words of Chief Dan George, and am humbled by the comparison. The days pass by so swiftly, I appreciate being reminded of the words I shared months ago, and as the approach of the first day of spring nears, let us both move forward into love and forgiveness, fresh ideas, and plenty of growth and wisdom. Dear friend, thank you so much.
I thought that we have to do something for nature’s generosity,which you beautifully presented in your New Year post,that’s how his words crossed my mind.I join you and move forward into love,fresh ideas and growth!Keep up your optimistic mood,my good friend 🙂