It was as quiet a Christmas morning as I could imagine. I awoke alone in the house except for my kitties and of course, Ada, our little rat. I was out of bed at 5:30 and had everyone fed (including myself) by 6.
It would be a few hours yet before company would arrive, so I grabbed my coffee and my trusty old camera and headed off to the lake to see what the sunrise might bring.
The roads couldn’t have been much more quiet than they were, as the whole world seemed yet asleep.
For a few seconds I was pissed off when I realized there was a solid blanket of cloud above me and with about a half hour to sunrise, there was unlikely to be any break that might allow the sun to poke through.
But it would have been impossible to stay upset very long … the soft gentle breeze from the lake and a temperature of low 60s, together with the occasional call of an overhead Osprey or nearby Heron … all creating an environment of relaxation and joy.
So I figured anyway that a true photographer would know how to take a grey morning start and turn it into something art-worthy. Without photoshop, that is. And so I messed with the camera settings a little, turned the shutter speed to about 20 seconds, closed down the aperture, and set the ISO as low as it would go.
These two pics below show the net effect and while they won’t win me a pulitzer prize, they both go some distance to capturing the whole mood of the start of Christmas Day 2019. I hope you enjoy!
By the time I got home and began to start the whole dinner preparations, I was already locked in a moment of zen and my soul seemed to have found a quiet corner to rest.
And that is really what created today’s thought was that I wanted to share … inner peace and the importance it plays in our life.
Like most people, even on my best days, I allow stresses and pressures to drive much of my inner calm. I try to control and manage them as much as I can, but there always seems to be something playing around inside my head.
Whether it is a wish, a plan, a happening, or even just an imagining, there always seems to be something that works against my inner balance and tries to pull me in some direction or other.
So, moments like this morning, where I find myself hitting a true moment of inner calm, are extremely precious. Such a moment reconstitutes your soul to where life seems genuinely fine. Waiting 20 seconds for a shutter to close and doing it several times, while you stand there in the quiet and dim surrounds, tends to take your mind away from life.
You become aware of your own inner heartbeat and each breath becomes a source of peace.
I can see why people who meditate, choose to do that. And to truly experience it with meditation, you have to be able to tune out your surrounds and focus on nothingness.
But when you find a special spot, like I did this morning, you don’t need to tune anything out. There was no traffic, no external noises, no bright colors … just the solitude and me.
Obviously we all live in different places and while Florida affords me the chance to drive ten minutes and experience such zen, others may not be so fortunate.
But however and wherever you find it, I suggest that you do so. Because however you end up grounding yourself, the benefits of doing so is significant.
Inner peace is such a precious commodity. It is not something that we should realistically expect for every moment of our lives. There is far too much chaos in the world and only in death are we truly expected to rest in peace.
There have been many more lively, entertaining, joyous, and festive Christmas holidays for me than this one. But it would to difficult for me to recall one that nourished my soul as much.
I wish you all a peaceful Holiday …
