It wasn’t my first choice this morning. Or even my second, for that matter, but when i found myself once again at the shores of Lake Parker, I couldn’t help thinking that openness to change and flexibility in approach are key ingredients in arriving at successful choices.
My initial decision this morning was to head to Ballast Point with the 11 mm lens and see what the super-wide view down the center of the pier might look like at sunrise.
But as I was getting ready to leave, a quick check of current time versus travel time, put me about ten minutes off arriving on time for twilight.
So I regrouped my thoughts and gathered some water, some candles, and the mirror with a view to staging a scene at the end of the Lake Parker pier that might produce some artsy type shots against the backdrop of twilight.
In fact, that is what I still thought I was shooting as I reached the half-way point crossing Kathleen Road. That is when I first noticed the interesting design of a scattered cloud in the dark skies above me.
I am not sure what point I decided to abandon all and go solely after this wonderful celestial design. But at some point I was driving faster and aware of the transient nature of clouds to where I was now in a mild stress mode.
By the time I got to park near the pier, my lens cover was already off and I jumped out of the car already shooting.
I never locked the car, left my coffee cup in the console, and all the planned accessories stayed on the back seat, abandoned for another day. I ran to the vantage point and the first couple of shots were blurred by the fact that I was still moving.
Where had these designs come from, I wondered. The cloud itself as pretty much a lone feature of a blue and empty sky. And what I am guessing is that somewhere between my first noticing the cloud and arriving at the lake, some early-morning pilots had sliced through it on their way somewhere.
But, right or wrong, it made no difference. These designs were all I needed in order to have some photo-fun.
Anyway I hope you enjoy what I captured. I have put some here at the end of the blog.
As I drove home, totally happy with my morning’s work, I thought of the phrase “celestial designs” as a good way to describe what I had seen. But then I also bent the phrase a little in my mind to reflect on the other meaning of such a phrase … as in celestial plans or intentions.
And it made me realize how my own plans were completely forfeited when confronted with something of a much higher order than me.
I am not talking of a god-type entity, but rather how circumstance can become a dominant factor.
It also reinforced for me how important it is to be aware of circumstance and adjust accordingly. Being rigid in the face of conflicting circumstance will almost always lead to failure. Or at the very least reduce the degree of success that could otherwise be achieved.
Sometime people push against circumstance because of pride or self-conviction. Other times, they just misread or are blind to what circumstance is doing.
But a wise person will always try to read the lay of the land before moving forward in a given direction. Just as “no man is an island” so too do we not live in a vacuum. There are people, things, and happenings all around us and it is up to us to know that they are there and adjust accordingly.
… just a thought.
