Beauty For The Soul

"Mere color, unspoiled by meaning and unallied with definite form. can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways." Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), England

I think this is so true.  Many things in nature can speak to us with their colors, their form, their simplicity and their beauty.  All we have to do is to take time to enjoy them.

Riding the Waves

Wind surfers don't try to tame the power of the ocean. They learn how to use that power to achieve their goals. We can do the same thing when we encounter obstacles, whether it be weather, difficult people or business issues. We need to analyze the situation to see if there's some way to turn the problems into avenues to success.

When my husband and I were in Kauai a few months ago, we spent part of our last day there watching wind surfers. We watched these guys fly into the air, come down on their feet and continue to ride the waves. They were absolutely remarkable! My primary challenge was to catch the leaps into the air, while still keeping the sense of what was guiding their actions. There had to be a trade-off sometimes between taking a close-up shot & the sense of place shot that included the parachute that was pulling them. I ended up taking a lot of both, so I could document the power of the waves & the skill of the men who were riding them.

Eyes & Beauty

"If eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), USA

This is Spouting Horn on the island of Kuaui. It's a beautiful spot and these picture shows a little different perspective than what you'd usually see. As is often the case with nature photography, particularly seascapes, I don't think you could ever get two pictures alike at this location. The waves are constantly changing & the horn spouts indiscremently and unpredictably. In situations like this, you have to focus and shoot right before you think the water is going to shoot up; otherwise you won't get the shot. Nature photography can be challenging but, in my opinion, it's definitely worth the time and effort.

Beauty of the Sea

"I asked the earth, I asked the sea and the deeps, among the living animals, the things that creep. I asked the winds that blow, I asked the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars and all the things that stand at the doors of my flesh ....

My question was the gaze I turned to them

Their answer was their beauty."

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), North Africa

The beauty of the sea is boundless. When we were in Hawaii recently, I could have spent days just gazing at the sea, each wave being different from the one before. Whether or not I took pictures was irrelevant, because it was the beauty of the sea that was important. I did, however, take as many pictures as I could, because I wanted to document the beauty & share it with those who weren't there to experience it.

The Strength of Water

"Nothing in the world is more flexible than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it."Lao Tzu (c.604 - c.53/BCE), from the Tao Te Ching, China

Have you ever tried walking across a river? My husband's a fly fisherman and, a few years ago, he decided that we needed to cross the Madison River, in Yellowstone, so we could fish & picnic on the other side. So, we both started out with our walking staffs, hoping they would tame the wild water & allow us to cross. My knuckles were white, not only from hanging onto the walking stick, but from fear as we made our way carefully across the river. There were many times when I thought I was going to fall, be rushed downstream & slammed into a large rock. Lukily, although the water was powerful, it wasn't deep, so we did make it across, but I have a very healthy respect for rushing water & hope to avoid crossing another river. I'll just fish & picnic on the "safe" side of the river.

Have you tried paddling out to catch a wave when the surf is coming in? Have you tried swimming

against the tide? Water is stronger than we are. We cannot conquer it. We may be able to channel its' strength at times but, when it comes right down to it, we have to change our actions in order to work with.

Live Every Minute

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." Mahatma Gandhi

My mom didn't live as if she was going to die the next day, but she certainly learned as if she was going to live forever. She was constantly reading, listening to informational shows on the radio, watching documentaries on TV, etc. She started emailing when she was close to 80 and was still making greeting cards, on the computer, for friends who needed a cheerful note, when she was 83 years old. She wasn't content to just sit and watch the world go by. She was constantly absorbing knowledge and sharing that knowledge with others. And, most importantly, she didn't merely exist for the 84 years that she was on this earth. She lived every minute of it.