Fox from my stay near Ely in spring 2017
I was looking through old photos this week while taking it easy because I’ve had an old-fashioned sore throat, blowing, sneezing not feeling well cold. It’s been over three years since I’ve had a cold like this. And while it has not been my favorite week, I am content, despite how crappy I feel.
I recently bought some software updates to my Topaz Denoise AI and Topaz Sharpen AI plugins (they work with Adobe Photoshop) and a new Topaz plug-in called Topaz Photo AI. So I worked on old photos to see whether I could improve them using the new software. And while I re-visited past places I felt my
Heart Sing
with quiet joy.
It was almost like going on a journey without the discomfort of leaving my home, a little walk down memory lane. And I was amazed at how much the plug-ins improved some of my old photos. But sometimes I was disappointed that there wasn’t an “un-suck” filter for those photos which just weren’t quite in focus where they needed to be. Even the best sharpening and de-noise filter cannot add focus when the photo is too blurry.
But even, when the photographs were not as skillful as I would like, I felt such gratitude for my discovery of my love for photography. It truly makes my heart sing.
The Thing That Makes Your Heart Sing
The thing that makes
your heart sing
might be quirky as hell,
It might not do anything for capitalism,
no one might buy it.You’ve probably written this thing off
countless times
For those reasons
and because you probably should
do the dishes or something more practical
like that instead.But this thing that makes your heart sing
is the thing inside of you that most wants
to topple your kingdom of should
that wants deeply and burningly
to be prioritized
and for no particular reason
but that it brings so much light.It wants to look you straight in the eye
and say, “Let’s do it baby!”
even if it’s drilling holes in seashells and stringing them to
fishing line,
even if it’s drawing anatomical pictures of a flower
with great care that are never meant
to be hung in an art gallery
but to be pressed
into the precious pages of your heart,even if it’s making a new kind of cookie
each week
and devouring them with relish on your couch
by yourself,
a sweet sacrament
just meant to share
with your taste buds.
This thing that makes your heart sing
will resurrect parts of your life
and restore a sacred nutrient
to your days.It can be muted
but never silenced.
If you’re not sure what it is,
just listen for the reoccurring whispers
in your chest
of that flame that will not die.The paradox is this:
while the thing itself might seem simple,
this thing that makes
your heart sing
will create a luminosity
so bright
you’ll be the envy
of all the stars
and they’ll want to jump into
your body— Chelan Harkin, Let Us Dance: the Stumble and Whirl With the Beloved
A Good Week to be Sick
With the wet, cool weather this week I’m thinking that if I had to catch a cold and be down with it, this was a good week for it. Spending an hour or two at my desk each morning working on photos was all the energy I had. With the cool temperatures it doesn’t look like there has been much greening or new growth during the week. But even a little bit of time looking at and working on photos lifted my spirits and made me happy.
Next week I hope to feel like going out with my camera again. And I’m hoping for warmer weather! What makes your heart sing? When was the last time you spent time doing that heart song inducing thing?
May you walk in beauty.
Iowa Landscape taken through car window while driving down I35 (I was riding, Jon driving)
Hooded Merganser Duck in Burntside River near Ely, MN
Birch tree abstract with camera movement (near Ely, MN)
Spring arrives in the North Woods (Boundary Waters Area near Ely, MN)
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