Fleeting Moments

Sunrise light on the trees across the pond

My love for photography over these past years has taught me about

The slant of light illuminating the tree tops at sunrise, color of a sunset in the late afternoon sky, a sliver of moon high in the pre-sunrise sky, shadows on newly fallen snow, and the delicate beauty of a flower are all here for just a fleeting moment and then gone.

When I first fell in love with making photographs, I had numerous lessons in fleeting moments and impermanence—how the only moment for making a photograph is now, now, now.

Early in my photographic journey, I fell in love with one of my images that I made at the mouth of the Temperance River on Lake Superior. The curves of land at the mouth of the stream were so beautiful. But because of my skill level at the time, the photo I made was a little out of focus and underexposed.

“Whatever has the nature of arising has the nature of ceasing.” —The Buddha

So I went back the next summer at about the same time of day, hoping to recreate the photograph with better focus. I was astonished to see that the shape of the curves at the mouth of the stream were totally different. The light was different as well. As I thought about it, I realized that of course, the shapes and curves would change from one year to the next. Nothing stays the same. From year to year, month to month, day to day, even moment to moment, things change.

The Eternal Now

Trying to recreate my Temperance River photograph was a wonderful lesson in impermanence. It taught me that if I see something beautiful I want to photograph, the only time to make the image is NOW. I can make a new photograph later, but it will be a different photo showing different beauty.

I have found that focusing on the now has made me a happier person. The only moment to fully live the life I am living is the present moment. Appreciation, gratitude, and wonder live in the present moment. So does joy.

Life is different now than it was pre-pandemic. That doesn’t mean that it is necessarily better or worse. It’s just different. I am finding great comfort in staying in the present moment. Whenever I find myself worrying about what might happen, or getting impatient I remind myself that in this moment all is well.

Now, this moment, is the moment to spread love and kindness, not hate and meanness. And now is the moment to feel gratitude and wonder. Now, in this moment I can be a person of peace and calm.

Our lives are a dance of change from one moment to the next. Staying in the now helps to stay in rhythm with the dance of life. What rhythms are you dancing to today?

May you walk in beauty.

Images today, from my back yard, deck, flowers I bought last week, and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Spring Flower Show