I really like this point you make Sydney: "It’s not the photography, itself, that’s the key. It’s the noticing that does it!" It's such a subtle yet important difference. Sometimes it's a challenge for me to remember that, but the noticing is really where the magic is for me.
Excellent series of photos as well and that one photo of the beach sand with the sea foam is amazing: love the contrast of colours and textures.
Beautiful! In so many ways. I was surprisingly shocked by the comment about fungi and death!!! Fungi is so exquisitely beautiful!! Lichens and mosses and mushrooms and curious little growths in delightful colours and textures!! Death? Decay? It’s all about perspective isn’t it?! There is such beauty all around us. Everything is part of that glorious tapestry of life. And yes, death is an end in one way but rarely something to fear.
Thank you for another inspiring, thought-provoking piece. It is very much appreciated. 🤗🤗😘
Thank you! I know, it's funny how people can sometimes get caught up on this one specific thing and miss the rest 🤷🏼♀️ You're so right, I couldn't agree more :)
I love this! I totally agree in the power of taking a deeper look! I also agree that the universe is full of secrets or clues intended to provide insights and direction for our lives that we usually miss in our surface viewing. Thanks so much for this invitation to look deeper!
I LOVED what you wrote, but I must tell you I handled it differently. It IS the noticing. And it is the noticing at scale. I don't take photographs because I determined that it interfered with my noticing. It's me, traveling. A camera got in the way of my seeing the world go by. And people watching. The one time I wished I took pictures was the day I saw the Loch Ness monster. But even as I thoought that, my other brain said, "How ya gonna take a picture of a 25' undulating line in the water?" You know what Imean? Noticing.
It’s such a good point, Cynthia - sometimes, the very tool that helped us begin an exercise can start to get in our way, instead! A camera can so easily take over as the "ends" instead of being a beneficial "means." So good you recognized that and put first things first!
Arya the cockatiel drops a feather from time to time. Some are long, some are short, and some, rarely, are the very long tail feathers, which are half of Arya's body length.
I always pick them up and also look at the detail. (I should take a picture and post it. Next time, perhaps.) The feather becomes a small world of its own. My high-school aged son told me Arya has about 5,000 feathers. Each are as light as, well, a feather.
We collect some of the feathers. Some are a few years' old. They seem the same, but each is slightly different in some small way or detail. Take a look and observe.
Our world through a feather. Thank you so much for this post It led me on a journey. A good one.
"Our world through a feather" Exactly! It's so beautiful how much you've noticed, and appreciated, and even shared a moment of learning with your son, all from Arya's feathers! Such a perfect example, thank you for sharing this, Perry :) Be sure to tag me if you share photos, I'd enjoy seeing them!
Two interesting tidbits. I just made a comment on another post about a fallen leaf. And a few months back, I wrote a whole story about people people living on a leaf planet, divided into two sub-worlds. One having daylight, while the other didn't.
A little noticing indeed! One morning, I saw a little leaf had fallen from my plant. I picked it up and observed it carefully seeing the fractal magic on it. The veins, the highways, the shadows. All divided by the main stem. It inspired me to write a short story that is, still, a WIP. Love your post! 🌱
Another inspiring post, Sydney. Thank you! It is indeed the noticing that ushers us to open our hearts and minds. If we go into a deeper practice, it brings forth understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
This process is quite similar to getting to know an individual. At first we’re attracted by appearance, then by scent and, following that, through touch.
Yet at each phase - whether admiring from afar or gazing into eyes resembling the bloom of a flower - we discover an entire world of detail we hadn’t noticed at first.
I really like this point you make Sydney: "It’s not the photography, itself, that’s the key. It’s the noticing that does it!" It's such a subtle yet important difference. Sometimes it's a challenge for me to remember that, but the noticing is really where the magic is for me.
Excellent series of photos as well and that one photo of the beach sand with the sea foam is amazing: love the contrast of colours and textures.
Same here, and thank you so much!
Beautiful! In so many ways. I was surprisingly shocked by the comment about fungi and death!!! Fungi is so exquisitely beautiful!! Lichens and mosses and mushrooms and curious little growths in delightful colours and textures!! Death? Decay? It’s all about perspective isn’t it?! There is such beauty all around us. Everything is part of that glorious tapestry of life. And yes, death is an end in one way but rarely something to fear.
Thank you for another inspiring, thought-provoking piece. It is very much appreciated. 🤗🤗😘
Thank you! I know, it's funny how people can sometimes get caught up on this one specific thing and miss the rest 🤷🏼♀️ You're so right, I couldn't agree more :)
Thanks for spending some time with me today! 💕
Sydney, You create beautiful work - photos and words. Connection is joy. Your work is connection. D
Thank you, Dave, that means so much to me!
I love this! I totally agree in the power of taking a deeper look! I also agree that the universe is full of secrets or clues intended to provide insights and direction for our lives that we usually miss in our surface viewing. Thanks so much for this invitation to look deeper!
Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it. It's true, there's so much to discover when we go looking for it! :)
So beautiful, as always, Sidney. Thank you.
Thanks, Don, so glad you enjoyed it!
I LOVED what you wrote, but I must tell you I handled it differently. It IS the noticing. And it is the noticing at scale. I don't take photographs because I determined that it interfered with my noticing. It's me, traveling. A camera got in the way of my seeing the world go by. And people watching. The one time I wished I took pictures was the day I saw the Loch Ness monster. But even as I thoought that, my other brain said, "How ya gonna take a picture of a 25' undulating line in the water?" You know what Imean? Noticing.
It’s such a good point, Cynthia - sometimes, the very tool that helped us begin an exercise can start to get in our way, instead! A camera can so easily take over as the "ends" instead of being a beneficial "means." So good you recognized that and put first things first!
Arya the cockatiel drops a feather from time to time. Some are long, some are short, and some, rarely, are the very long tail feathers, which are half of Arya's body length.
I always pick them up and also look at the detail. (I should take a picture and post it. Next time, perhaps.) The feather becomes a small world of its own. My high-school aged son told me Arya has about 5,000 feathers. Each are as light as, well, a feather.
We collect some of the feathers. Some are a few years' old. They seem the same, but each is slightly different in some small way or detail. Take a look and observe.
Our world through a feather. Thank you so much for this post It led me on a journey. A good one.
"Our world through a feather" Exactly! It's so beautiful how much you've noticed, and appreciated, and even shared a moment of learning with your son, all from Arya's feathers! Such a perfect example, thank you for sharing this, Perry :) Be sure to tag me if you share photos, I'd enjoy seeing them!
Will do.
utterly beautiful Sidney.
Thanks, Emily, and thanks for stopping by! 💕
It’s the noticing. 🙏🏼
Another great essay!
If you like fungi, may I recommend to you Joseph Pallante's Myconeer, the best Substack on the topic as far as I know!
Thank you, Michael! And thanks so much for the suggestion, I'm off to check it out now!
It’s just amazing how when you look at something in nature, closer, you always find a whole mess of other stuff that invites you to look closer still.
So true!
Two interesting tidbits. I just made a comment on another post about a fallen leaf. And a few months back, I wrote a whole story about people people living on a leaf planet, divided into two sub-worlds. One having daylight, while the other didn't.
How wonderful! A little noticing can draw us into entire new worlds :) Thanks for being here, Rene!
A little noticing indeed! One morning, I saw a little leaf had fallen from my plant. I picked it up and observed it carefully seeing the fractal magic on it. The veins, the highways, the shadows. All divided by the main stem. It inspired me to write a short story that is, still, a WIP. Love your post! 🌱
Thank you so much! What a perfect jumping off point for a story, so creative to find inspiration in the everyday!
Another inspiring post, Sydney. Thank you! It is indeed the noticing that ushers us to open our hearts and minds. If we go into a deeper practice, it brings forth understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Thanks so much, Stella! You're so right...It's a practice that we can always return to and move further in...
Lovely. The part about lupine and ballet - that really struck me, beautifully said.
Thanks, Lindsay!
You're welcome. And Congrats on your Nordic Lens photo entry! Beautiful pic.
Than you so much!
This process is quite similar to getting to know an individual. At first we’re attracted by appearance, then by scent and, following that, through touch.
Yet at each phase - whether admiring from afar or gazing into eyes resembling the bloom of a flower - we discover an entire world of detail we hadn’t noticed at first.
Thanks, Thomas, great analogy!
Made me think of the Forrest Gump movie.. :)
Isn't it wonderful how we can get lost in a detail?!!! It makes one forget all that noise and hurry! Thats where the joy is!!
Thank you!!
So true, An, it's very meditative that way! Thanks for joining me :)
:)