If we lived close to nature in an agricultural society, the seasons as metaphor and fact would continually frame our lives. But the master metaphor of our era does not come from agriculture – it comes from manufacturing. We do not believe that we ‘grow’ our lives – we believe that we ‘make’ them. Just listen to how we use the word in everyday speech: we make time, make friends, make meaning, make money, make a living, make love.
Parker J. Palmer
On my way to the coffee shop I just had to stop at campus and accept this image of the morning’s sunrise. It was a deep red minutes prior to taking this image. It is a much warmer day for us here in Colorado. The kind of day to be expected because it is the season of winter.
I’ve read this quote before and agree that many in our culture no longer see themselves as growing into our lives but think we make our lives. I’m one of those. I tried to make my life happy but discovered the daily struggle to control my life and those around me wasn’t working. I’m finding it much more enjoyable to face life for what it is, gradually gaining in wisdom what I can change and what I can’t. My prayer is to continually grow in the discovery of who I am becoming. Part of growing in life is growing older, which includes all the positive stuff and the negative stuff. And, it seems when I stop trying to make my life into my wishes, I have more choices in growing into my life. The bumps are less dramatic and chaotic. Stay warm and dry!
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead
Clouds began rolling in just before noon. Forecast is for snow later tonight and into tomorrow and bitter cold, with a wind chill warning of 40 below. The cold is expected to hang around over the next 3 days. I did make it to a coffee shop this morning. And, believe it or not there were a few brave bicyclists out on this blustery day. I’m not that brave or maybe I’m wiser. I took this image of a backlit leaf a week ago. I assume the leaf is most likely in Kansas or beyond by now. Stay warm and hang on to your hat.
“A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living,”
Virginia Woolf
Not many people enjoy changes. In fact some of us will fight against change. Yet, I’ve found change is where transformation takes place in our lives. I don’t ask for changes in my life because they can be difficult to move through but they are the only constant in my life. If I want transformation in my life then I must accept changing as part of that. It is cold this morning as it seems to be in most of the US. Enjoy your day and stay warm!
Real security can only be found, if at all, in a world without the injustices that now exist, and without arms.
Kathleen Lonsdale
It was 19 degrees with clear skies and sunshine when I left the condo this morning, our first day of 2024. However, we are expecting to reach 50 degrees later. Kathleen Lonsdale’s quote stirs my hopes for this coming year. So I would like to share my prayers and hopes for the coming year. May our troubled and broken world embrace a year filled with peace, love, compassion, reconciliation, forgiveness, love, mercy, kindness, justice, love, and healing. May we respect and protect all human lives, their rights as equals, never less or greater than, always discovering our common ground. May we let go of the heavy chains of anger, hate, fear, judgements, prejudice, resentments that weigh us down, separate and divide us. May we see with the openness of new eyes, not defined with preconceived images of our minds or another’s images. May we choose faith over fear. May we have the awareness we are all connected in unimaginable ways within this landscape we call earth. May we respect and protect our life-giving natural world as vital to our existence and not abuse it. May we spend more time within the beauty of Mother Earth, walking gently on her sacred soil, fully embracing the gift she is while accepting her embrace. May we venture into the mystery of the unknown that lies ahead of us with trust! And last but not least, may we all enjoy the gift of sharing with our neighbors from our box of Enstrom’s Almond Toffee (to die for I’m telling you). And, thank you for the gift of your presence in my life, even if it’s virtual!!
To know how to grow old is the masterwork of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living.
Henri Frédéric Amiel
I remember the moment distinctly. I had ordered a sandwich and then questioned the price as it seemed too low. The response was, “I gave you the senior discount.” Wait a minute! What just happened? It took a second to pull myself together then accept the discount but the words left their mark somewhere deep within me. I’ve had time to ponder those words and I realize I had just passed over some unseeable line and into a stage of life I knew nothing about. It was a strange land I was not ready or prepared for.
Gratefully I’ve come to see things with older and more seasoned eyes and a spattering of wisdom. I am learning to accept living in this stage of life’s journey and it’s gifts of wonder, awe, surprises, moments of joy, and the strength and courage to face life’s difficulties. I’m also discovering the aches and pains of an aging body that comes with this new territory. I’m coming to know how to grow old rooted in the masterwork of wisdom. Even though it can be difficult at times I find the learning to be one of life’s greatest adventures. I’m enjoying this chapter of my life and the art of living it.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the scenes I cannot change, courage to change the scenes I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
I have been praying the Serenity Prayer every morning before my feet hit the floor for a few years now. The prayer is about three basic things: serenity (acceptance), courage (to change) and wisdom. I’ve become aware that I’ve been using this prayer in my photography without realizing it, but with a slight twist. I would suggest you may also. Let me explain using these two images.
I noticed this scene while driving along County Road 19. I knew from the get-go I was not going to have the image I wanted because of the close proximity of the house and tree. I wanted the sun setting behind the tree without the house but with the tree more towards the center. Wasn’t gonna happen in this scene. A couple extreme options were…
I could burn the house down but there would be court dates to deal with and I didn’t think the image would be worth the outta pocket expenses. Another option was to move the tree but I didn’t have a chainsaw for that task, nor the time. I don’t know about you but I seldom carry a chainsaw in my camera bag. Or I could….
… accept the scene as it is. So, I began by changing my expectations. The image I wanted when I first saw this scene I was not going to get. But, here is what I could do. I could work with my exposure, making sure it was what I wanted. I had my 70-300mm zoom on my camera because I had been photographing pronghorn antelope a few minutes earlier. So, I took a half dozen images, cropping at various focal lengths with and without the house in it. Again, I had little time to decide before the sun set.
I’ve been shooting long enough to know that I will not always come home with a keeper. I’m comfortable with that knowledge and therefore do not get as frustrated and lose my (serenity). I knew I could accept the scene as it is, aware I may trash all of them later (courage). Of course this is much easier today with digital than film days (more courage). I also knew that I was there to witness this gift of nature and store this scene in that place Mary Oliver calls the “kingdom we call remembrance.” I also know there would be other opportunities to come (wisdom).
After bringing the images home I found a couple that worked for me. The top image is without a crop and includes the house. It turned out better than I envisioned. I find it quite acceptable. The second image is the same image but with the house cropped out. Having the tree as far to the edge of the frame really did not take away from what I first saw. Shows you what I know. Both images are acceptable to me. If you are so inclined please let me know which image you like better. And, what experiences have you like this?
Just for fun, and because Tom stirred the pot, I went back and looked at other images I took to see if I include the whole house. I did and like them as well. I also did not realize how I must have moved along the road in my attempt to eliminate the house because this image has the sun on the opposite side of the tree.
