A Reflective Image – Of “Being”

After a long day at the medical center to the north… a day of uneasiness, uncertainty, happiness, and cautious optimism, I took a walk at Sweet Marsh to clear my head of emotions and instead to concentrate on nature. Other than the gazillion tiny, biting no-see-ums, the hike was worth the time and effort. I saw and photographed many glimpses of autumn – from red Virginia creeper and poison ivy leaves, to a Wilson’s snipe and sandhill cranes. Those pictures were OK for the day, but nothing that jumped out at me as something I will remember as time goes by.   

Then, as I was walking to the south with a strong western sun hitting the water, I spotted my favorite image of the day – at least for the mood I was in at the time. This composition of a bright setting sun focused on a spot in the water, surrounded by tired fragrant water lily leaves, all with a golden hue, captured my feelings at the time. The scene through my viewfinder was pretty and peaceful, somber and quiet, while not really happy or sad or anything else. The image was just of “being” at the time. I was “being” at the marsh, “being” and aware of what the day had included, and “being” in a sense of awareness of the possibilities in the future.     

Whether the image and its meaning makes sense to anyone else does not really matter. I don’t want to sound insensitive, but the image captured what was in my mind at the time. My thoughts, my efforts, my image. I liked it and hope some of you might too.

Following is a sampling of some of the other images recorded during my brief hike.