My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
“I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me.”
Hermann Hesse
This low perspective shows some of the green we are seeing in the meadows. We really do need to see some moisture and that may happen this coming weekend.
I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
Mary Oliver, Devotions
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?
Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.
I’ve worried a lot, too. I worry much less at my age because I also finally saw that it never really helped. I’m also a hopeless singer, with most of my practice done in the shower, solo. But, Mary Oliver’s poem has inspired me to stop worrying whether I’m as good a singer as a sparrow and just sing. So, starting tomorrow morning… 😁
There is no normal. I’ve never met a normal person. The concept is flawed. It implies that there is only one way people are supposed to be, and that can’t possibly be true. Human experience is far too varied.
Maureen Johnson
So, are we each abnormally normal?
“A shadow is never created in darkness. It is born of light. We can be blind to it and blinded by it. Our shadow asks us to look at what we don’t want to see”
Terry Tempest Williams
There is a dark side of me I that I did not always want to see or admit to knowing about. It’s a side that can be full of hate, anger, jealousy, envy, fear, insecurity, self-centeredness, and the list goes on. I imagine everyone could also add to this list. When I was younger I avoided looking inward, always had a focus on how I wanted you to see me outwardly. I am grateful for this time in my life where I use self-examination along with prayer and meditation as the light to acknowledge and face the shadow side of myself. It is a path of self discovery.
Clouds and fog create a mysterious mood in this image from last summer. Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.
One of the most exciting and energizing forms of thought is the question. I always think that the question is like a lantern. It illuminates new landscapes and new areas as it moves. Therefore, the question always assumes that there are many different dimensions to a thought that you are either blind to or that are not available to you. One of the reasons that we wonder is because we are limited, and that limitation is one of the great gateways of wonder.
John O’Donohue
If asking a question does offer a new landscape, then altering how I ask that question, even slightly, offers a new landscape in thought. This is a wonderful metaphor for landscape photographers. When I move 10 feet this way, or lower my perspective, I change how the camera sees the landscape. It’s good to always be asking questions.
This morning as I approached the bus transit center I noticed this red Coca-Cola truck and it reminded me of an image of a red Coca-Cola truck posted on the blog of the well known photographer Joseph Smith. He claims he borrowed the idea for the photo from another photographer. But I’m claiming I borrowed the idea for this image from Joe. Interestingly a woman walked by the truck without noticing it. She turned to see what I was taking a photo of and then said, “Oh the red Coca-Cola truck.” She must have seen Joe’s image also. Thanks for the inspiration, Joe!