Life is in the details. The excitement. The variety. It’s what makes us different from each other. This is an outdoor photo. What do you see?
Nature is not a backdrop that exists for our activities. The woods are not just trees growing out of the ground. We are only able to see the woods in detail when we get out of our car and take the time to hike through them. Then we feel the presence of a different place.
The intricacies of nature can leave us in awe, if we pay attention when we are outdoors, and if we bend down and get close. Look at the details. Listen to the sounds. Sniff the breeze to see what you can pick up -- rich aroma of earth? dry leaves? wet bark? pine needles? sage?
More important than what is in the photo, is how you feel looking at its details. What thoughts came to mind? It’s a close-up of snow, taken from three inches away. Sunlight is hitting it at an angle that creates shadows in the foreground. I would not have noticed the textures or the shades of colors if I hadn’t kneeled down.
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Spending time in the wilderness--or at least taking time to be present to a glimpse of it throughout a busy day--is deep nourishment for my writing/artistic life--and my spiritual life. (I can't separate them.) That is, in fact, a huge part of why I moved back to Alaska: to have easier and more abundant access to wild lands, unmitigated and unmanipulated spaces that are will, well, wild.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo, Mark. Stunning. At first, I thought it was an impressionist-style painting.