Awash

I'm not the best blipper of these little guys but I can't imagine anyone having more fun just standing around watching them.  I've learned the hard way that getting the shot is a lot less important than soaking in the experience.  We don't often go back and look at photographs; the "real" photographs are those etched in our memories.  I don't think that applies singularly to hummingbirds or even birds in general.  There are so many things we miss because we are often so focused on getting "the shot."  Indeed, it's exciting to get an amazing photograph, like I was a short time ago with my Bridled titmouse.  But what I will remember about that day is simply sitting and looking out at the huge flock of them, something I had never experienced. Capturing a brilliant sunset can be satisfying but putting down the camera and taking the time to simply watch it as it grows, changes and fades is priceless.

I don't have a photo of sailboats on the Chesapeake or the Christmas lights in Annapolis. Nor any from the cliffs overlooking Lake Erie, ice fishing or snow angels. But I have each engraved in my mind, never to be forgotten.

I've begun to appreciate leaves gently moving in a breeze. A smile from a stranger or one deep in thought. Layers of distinctive clouds or a lonely puff in an azure sky. The thin strip of gold along the ridge of the mountains just before the sun breaks. The endless stars and the silence of the night. The wee and the vast. The sounds and the smells. 
Now I take a deep breath and look before I shoot.  When I do, I'm awash in peace.

Have a great weekend...and do make some time to take it all in.  Maybe even take a stroll without your camera. (I dare ya!)  x