Breezin' Through My Mind

Everyday I drive by a flag in the middle of a rose garden.  Everyday I see the flag and the rose bushes, and yet most of the time, I never see them.  It's as if, having driven by so many times, these things are either burned into my conscience so I no longer 'notice' them, or I'm so preoccupied with getting to point B that I no longer realize they exist.

The other day on my drive back to the office, the wind was blowing and I had to stop for traffic.  A fierce gust caused the flag to unfurl completely, whipping the immense fabric open to it's full glory.  After months of summer air, dense and still, the flag suddenly came to life.  It took my breath away.  How is it that I can drive by something everyday, hundreds of times, and yet totally miss it?

I constantly remind myself to stop each day and take note of the little things.  There are days when I feel completely surrounded by the little things that make life so magical.  Days when I feel fortunate, lucky to be alive.  Moments in a lifetime of days I will always remember.  And then, it seems I can go for weeks without ever noticing anything.  Everything just blurs by in a continuous span of lost time.  Time I know occurred filled with moments I don't remember.  As if a light was turned off somewhere, shutting down my sense of being, unplugging my sense of wonder.

What happens during those moments when I feel like I'm just going through the motions, living, alive, yet seeing nothing?  Are those the times when I allow the stress and strain to take over?  It feels that way.  I am amazed that I can do something everyday, over and over, and totally miss it.  Then turn around the next day and see once again.  Everyday I park in front of a massive tree, but I never noticed the tree.  Until the day the wind blew the flag.  Everyday I drive by another tree, a huge tree, a Swiss Family Robinson tree, yet I never paid much attention to it until that day.  I always saw the tree, but I really did not notice it.

I just realized the why.  It's my camera.  On those days when I carry my camera with me, my eyes are open, my senses are keen.  And the days when I leave my camera at home, are just another blur.  Not always, but it seems that way.  I remember with acute recollection the moments of days when I have my digital eyes with me, and the days without my camera are lost like bits of dust in the dark.

When I take my camera, when I take a picture, there is  more going on than just my eyes peering into a viewfinder.  Looking through the lens opens my perspective on what I see, and connecting those images with thoughts...words...opens my eyes; aligning all that is good with beauty, and all that is right with wonder.

The magic of an everyday person, brought to life, through the lens of a simple camera.  

~~Have a vision big enough to be uncomfortable--not all dreams come easy.~~

~~We are all created to make a difference.~~