{"id":6901,"date":"2019-11-27T12:43:55","date_gmt":"2019-11-27T12:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nevilleronan.com\/blog\/?p=6901"},"modified":"2019-11-27T12:43:55","modified_gmt":"2019-11-27T12:43:55","slug":"imagine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nevilleronan.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/27\/imagine\/","title":{"rendered":"Imagine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

About twenty minutes ago, as I am walking back up my driveway pulling the empty trash can back to its duly assigned resting spot by the pump house, I looked off through the trees at the rising sun and just paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most magical colors of orange, yellow, and every shade in between, were playing out between the leaves of the old oak tree that keeps my yard in the shade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside my head the regular battle played out … whether to grab my camera and try to capture something before the morning swallowed up all the colors, or to avoid distraction and sort out the trash can like I should have done yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the presence of such morning magic, I would have had to be in a really poor mood to choose option number 2, so I abandoned the trash can mid-driveway and ran in to get my camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are four of the images that I got and I hope you enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A camera is a camera and (even with a full sensor, Daria) is never likely to come close to the range of soft colors that our eyes detect. So even though I really love these, you will have to take my word that in person, the sunrise was even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I quickly pulled them off the camera to stick in this blog, I noticed one thing that gives rise to this morning’s thought. And it arises from this image here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So when I look at this image, I immediately see a monster on the right of the shot about to eat a large berry from a branch on the left. Can you see it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can’t, then you probably still have your sanity and likely always will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the poets, artists and loonies among us, images like this always have hidden shapes and wonders. We can stare at a seemingly random collection of shapes and colors and see things that others cannot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it is an act of lunacy or simply having an open mind and interpreting things differently, I will never know for sure. I mean, do lunatics even know they are crazy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I will go the route of this being down to an open mind. Why not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing the obvious in any aspect of life is a simple task. When we are young, we are taught shapes and colors and names are assigned to what we are seeing … names that we repeat robotically for the rest of our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If on seeing your first airplane, you had been taught to call it a banana, you would forever be the one person on earth that believed that bananas could fly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the ability, even at an old age like mine, to stare inquisitively into a random image and pick out things that are not cleanly labeled is probably a sign of a childish mind. And to me, that is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So much of our childish imagination is quenched by life that many of us wearily approach its end by no longer experiencing anything new that intrigues or excites us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But imagine a world where you continually learned. Where you continually explored and stretched your mind into new avenues. This is the real secret to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It gives you a reason to get out of bed, go for a walk, or maybe even abandon a trash can in the middle of the driveway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never lose your imagination. It is a precious gift that we are born with and we should never let it slip away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When all is said and done, we will be gone a hell of a lot longer than we are here. So let’s make the most of our time here and allow the child in us to run free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK, gotta go now … there’s a trash can that need moving!<\/p>\n\n\n\n