The other night the sunset was amazing. The pink & purples were so deep. There is nothing like a late winters sunset. (Except a summers sunset!) After thinking how beautiful it was, my first thought was "I need to capture this in a picture." So I grabbed my phone and ran from the kitchen window, to the dining room window and then upstairs to the bathroom window and Marie-Therese's window. I was getting frustrated because no matter how hard I tried I couldn't quite get the vibrancy of the colors, or the stunning views I was seeing.
Before I knew it the colors weren't quite so THERE. It was still beautiful but if I wasn't careful I would miss it. Yes I would have seen the colors, the sun setting, but I was on the verge of missing the EXPERIENCE. Of the few moments of entering into the moment, standing there and simply taking in the brilliance of the painted sky.
No matter how beautiful the picture would turn out, nothing compares to being fully in the moment & experiencing it first hand. By rushing up and downstairs I was missing some moments of color, I was missing the opportunity to stand and simply be for a few moments with a beautiful sky. Pictures are wonderful and I won't stop taking them, but I have to recognize that no picture, at any time, will ever capture the true beauty of a moment. Because a picture captures a tiny second of a moment and I want to enter into the whole moment, body and soul. To have the details, the sensations, ingrained into my memory and my body.
When Marie-Therese noticed my frantic running up and down the stairs she went up to her bedroom (she already knows the best view for watching sunsets) and stood there looking out, marveling. She said the sky looked magical and the fairies must be so happy to be dancing out in those colors tonight.
Yes. That is what I to remember. Her description that needed no picture taken. I hope to remember this in the future. Take a picture, then put down the phone or the camera and enter into the moment. Allow my mind and body to capture the experience, they will do a better job at remembering than any picture ever could.
Yes. I have to remind myself of the same. Often! Love her words. xx
ReplyDeleteMy kitchen window faces west, and every night when I do the dishes I watch the sun set behind the trees, and yet have never grabbed the camera to capture it. Not sure why, I think it might be because I enjoy that moment so much...my hands doing meaningful work, my mind calm, and the beauty of Mother Nature she says goodbye to another day. It is a full mind/body experience and I wouldn't change it for a minute.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to have little reminders in our lives, to give us a nudge to slow down, and really experience a moment, and capture it in our mind's eye instead of with the camera.
xo
such an important thing to remember x
ReplyDeleteYou are so wise Jen. Yes, enter the moment and hold it close.
ReplyDeleteOh I love how children bring us to what matters... :)
ReplyDeleteWise words Jen. And you know what? It's REALLY difficult to capture the true colors in the photo anyway! So just enjoy it :-)
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