Although blue skies were guaranteed for later in the day, yesterday began with thick fog that hampered any plans for an early morning shoot.
That being said, I decided to visited the trails at Circle B which had reopened finally after the damage caused by the hurricane six weeks ago.
The main trail that I often take that swings down by Lake Hancock was closed with some of the trail apparently still under water but I had already decided that I wanted to take the one that ran down by the marsh and wetlands and thankfully that one was open.
I got there just at sunrise but there was no sunrise to see as the thick swathes of fog drowned out anything more than one or two hundred feet away.
Initially I focused a lot on the dew-covered webs that seemed to line much of the trail I was on, occasionally stopping to take some scenic shots that illustrated how the fog was consuming all else.
I also took some bird and alligator shots in the knowledge that the fog would likely kill the clarity of the shots, but such is life some times. Not all good photographs are going to be crystal clear.
When I reached the far end of the trail (and before turning back for the return journey) the mosquitoes found me as I was changing lenses and made life miserable for a few minutes.
The misery caused me to drop my lens cover into the water but I decided not to reach into the water for it as my hand might have presented too tempting a lure for the nearby alligators and gar that were rife in these waters. The cover is easier to replace than my fingers, so I moved on.
It was on the homeward section of the trail that I found myself in an interesting confrontation with a large alligator.
She was a rather grumpy twelve footer and standing about six feet from her and getting shots of her as she lay in the water apparently was a source of irritation for her.
First she started blowing bubbles (I hadn’t seen that behavior before) and then she move closer directly to me and came out of the water and walked to where I was standing. I began back peddling and trying to take shots as I did so.
I probably should have given her more space than I was and when she got to where I had been standing on the trail, she just looked at me with a clear air of annoyance.
Then after a minute or so, she went back into the water and I decided I needed to give her space and walked away. I suspect she was guarding a nest of eggs in the muddy embankment.
You’ll see the pics of her along with the others at the end of the blog. And here is where I put the 45 second video of her getting back into the water. It gives you a good feel for her size/weight.
https://youtu.be/r696ggHFaAg
Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
It was on the drive home as I was thinking of the lack of clarity that was undoubtedly common throughout the days pics, that I began to muse over the whole concept of clarity and how important it is in our lives.
I’ve been feeling a little sorry for myself for a while now as I am stuck at one of life’s crossroads unable to move forward. I am waiting some clarity on what my options ahead are and the lack of it has really hampered my ability to make any forward-looking decisions.
But sometimes, while we wait for the fog in our lives to clear, it is important to recognize that the real clarity that we need comes from within.
Yes, it is good when outside forces clear away the fog and let us determine what our options are. When that happens, our view ahead is clear and we are then positioned with whatever we need to look ahead and determine our best course.
But what about when outside sources don’t introduce such clarity or when that clarity takes too long to materialize?
Well, staying at life’s crossroads forever is one option but is hardly a good one. The best answer is to seek what clarity we can find within ourselves and establish a cut-off moment for outside influences.
If you are a procrastinator, then you are very unlikely to comfortable with cut-off deadlines. But in order to regain control (somewhat) over your own destiny, we oftentimes have to forego a feeling of comfort and just reach inside and ask ourselves what is it that we really want and how best can we attain it.
That level of clarity is a good source for critical input to any decision process we find ourselves in. It is important that any life decisions that we make are made on a solid basis otherwise we risk an abnormal level of failure and unhappiness.
So, while I find myself at this crossroads, I have given myself just a short period to continue with and will then decide how best to move forward. I know where my line is.
This is something we should each practice when we find ourselves at any of life’s crossroads.
Ask yourself if the decision process is clearly identifiable and where is that clarity coming from.
That is the knowledge that establishes whether we are actually making the decision ourselves of hoping that someone else will make them for us.
… just a thought.
