The same place is not the same place
As you may have noticed, most of my photographic images have a common theme: a tree or some foliage in the foreground, followed by a body of water and, with any luck, a sunrise set before a colorful sky. I have used this formula thousands of times during my morning walks. I always admired the pictures after they were taken and before I decided which one I would post for the morning. My one saving grace for the repetitive and predictable photography is the locations where the image was taken. Places like Sarasota, Fort Lauradale, Key West, or the Bahamas provide a different perspective on the familiar composition. In the early years of walking, I was fortunate to be in other locations throughout the month. That was until "it" happened. We refer to the "it" as BC or before Covid. The pandemic kept me closer to home, which was fine, but what was not acceptable was that the lockdown destroyed my routine. Over the last two years, I have struggled to find consistency in my walks. I eventually settled in and walked around the neighborhood. Basically, the same route each day, out the driveway, then to the left, walk down the road to the community dock, take a picture, post a picture, back out to the street, then around the cul-de-sac, then go to the next neighborhood and repeat the process there.
I feel we should be able to conclude that this mundane activity can stifle creativity as well as the desire for a good walk. During this time, many of you reached out about the infrequency of my post. My bad.
Over the past few months, I adopted a new thought. I realized that to keep the Social Media post somewhat fresh, despite the same location on the same lake and on the same dock, I just need to change my view. So I changed the lens angle; I would get off the dock into the water, reposition the light, and let God change the intensity of the sunrises and sky color. (Thanks God). The pictures became more exciting and, in my humble opinion, more artistic.
Here is the lesson: It is easy to find beauty when something is new and fresh. When you bought that new car, moved into a new house, traveled to the mountains or beach for the first time, got married, or had your first child. How amazing was that! It was simply beautiful, and you were most likely filled with amazement. Now that you have been married for 30 years, your car is ten years old, your house needs a new roof, and you have been to the beach every weekend for as long as you can remember, things are not so pretty, right? The answer is not a change in scenery; you need to change your perspective. Get off the dock and into the water; you might see it differently. Look and look hard for the beauty in your life. It is still there, I promise. If you don't see it anymore, it's because you quit looking. You will hear me say this 100 times in this blog, Change your perspective, and you will change your life. Oh yes, one last thing. The grass is not greener on the other side; it's greener where you water it:) Love ya. -Rusty
