Another super early start with the cats saw me finished with news and staring at the walls by 5 am. These 3:45 starts are a necessary evil while we deal with Fluffy’s eye problem and while I don’t begrudge the exhaustion it has inserted into our lives, I truly struggle with how best to see off the early morning dark-hours until the daylight has arrived.
So, once again I grabbed the A7 and this time headed off to downtown Tampa. Weather app said “partly cloudy” again. Lyin’ bastard. Makes you wonder how on earth they define the word “partly” at Apple.
In darkness, I was unable to make out much for myself but once I could make it out, any fool could see that the skies were held hostage by thick, low-lying clouds that made a mockery of any possible sunrise.
Just as well then, that I wasn’t looking for one. No, my downtown decision was purely an attempt to capture man-made lighting and shapes, within an urban setting.
So, this time, I didn’t cross the river at Kennedy and park at UT like I always do. This time, I drove down by the Cass Ave bridge. It is nearly always in this Viagra-ish state when I see it in the background of other shots. So, this time I decided to make it a foreground feature and see how the city looked behind it.
As it turned out, the cloud cover was low enough that it helped touch several of the skyscrapers and diffused their colored lighting to add some interest to an otherwise miserable sky.
My adventure took on a small element of risk when I decided to trespass on the rail line that you can see in the foreground of picture number three so that I could get an unhindered view of the skyline.
It not only did that, but it gave me a couple of images of the track and structure that I otherwise wouldn’t have seen.
Then, finally, I walked down to the boat launch that you can see on the far right of picture 6, to get one final reflective view at river height.
I was delighted with what I got and I hope you enjoy them (they are at the end of the blog).
As I was driving home, I was thinking about the risk that I took going out on the track over the river despite the “no trespassing” sign that I had to pass by. Given the debacle at Ballast Point a number of weeks ago, I can be forgiven for taking extra caution as I journeyed out to the middle of the river.
The track is obviously sturdy and the only real threat is the feeble balance of an old man with fractured wrist on one side, carrying a camera and tripod on the other. I also mused at the time, over what the police might have done had they seen me. Would I have been given a fine of some sort or just shot on sight?
But in truth, I never felt unsafe and in the revisiting, I asked myself why I even felt remotely giddy taking such a minimal risk.
Yes, there was sign telling me not to do it. And yes there was the stepping out over water aspect that I was aware of. But both presented a risk level that was almost laughable.
I mean some people climb mountains and jump out of planes … the real risk-takers.
Then it dawned on me.
Though I see myself generally as a non-conformer, I have been very much groomed into fitting in within society and following the rules. I mean, I never go to protests, always wear my seat belt, and try to stay within 15 miles of the speed limit.
I rebel in quiet ways, fighting liberal causes in discussions, taking naughty pictures occasionally, and hanging around with ladies of ill-repute often. These are some of my ways of giving society the finger. And generally they leave me feeling alive. I offer apologies to no one.
It is important not to fit perfectly into the round hole. We should all have edges that don’t make us a perfect seal in this water-tight world.
If you follow all the rules, and fit perfectly into society around you, then who’s life are you living?
Yes, it may be the path of least resistance in life, but that does not make it the right path.
Changes within society and even locally, changes within ourselves, come when we bend the rule a little… when we challenge the norm and take a different approach to something.
You may occasionally take some lumps for the path you take, but in reality these then become the medals of your having achieved individuality. Wear them with pride.
So, I guess the point I am trying to make is simple. Ask yourself is perfectly happy with who you are and how you went through your week. Ask yourself did you ruffle any feathers this past week.
If everyone is happy with you and no feathers were ruffled, then stop and grow a pair. Even a little pair. And head into your new week with a bit more adventure than the old one.
… just a thought!
