Taking It All In

There are two things that I truly enjoy doing and that make me feel extra good on any given day:

Walking.

Taking pictures.

Often times, I take pictures while I walk. (Thank Heavens for camera phones! Truly one of the greatest inventions, ever.) But sometimes I notice that I miss some really important stuff when I try to walk and shoot at the same time.

1. I can't remember the path back to where I began. (This happens most often when I'm roaming in the woods.)
2. I miss the obvious. (Like my body about to collide with a moving vehicle.)
3. And I don't truly take it all in.

The first two I notice happen to me quite often. (My ex boyfriend can tell you about a pretty significant argument we had about his leaving me on a path in the middle of Leslie Gulch (a volcanic creek bed in the middle of nowhere) just before a lightening storm began. I was too busy snapping photos that I couldn't find my way back to the car! Ack!)

However, I never really noticed that I sometimes don't take it all in until one late summer afternoon this year.

I was riding my bike through the neighborhood (ok, not walking) and enjoying my time away from deadlines, money stress, and other daily struggles when I noticed a GORGEOUS sunset in the distance. The sky was turning beautiful shades of red, orange, and purple right before my very eyes. Since I had my handy-dandy iPhone with me (as always) I stopped my bike and proceeded to dig for it in my pocket.

Then I stopped digging.

I simply sat still and watched the sun set.

I'm not sure how long I sat and watched the sun set, but it felt like an eternity. And it was an eternity of sheer peace. It was a feeling that I realized I was missing out on when I hid behind a lens...for that little piece of equipment can take away the true glory of life when it sits between us and the magnificent world if we're not careful.

When the sun finally disappeared in the horizon for its slumber, I got back on my bike and started my hurried ride home.

Then it began to rain.

I slowed down, turned my face to the sky, and took it all in.

I even took another lap around the block.

:)