Notice

~Notice~

My friend Jessica took this photo the other day.  I love the way that the sunlight is shining through the leaf.  She said that she was just at the right place at the right time; I think that it was more than that.  I think that she took a moment to notice this leaf, and the way that the sun’s light was shining through the hole just right to create something of simple beauty.  She was able to take a pause and notice the beauty in front of her.  And trust me...if there is anyone who doesn’t have many spare moments in her day to take the time to notice simple things, it’s my friend Jess.  Her life is full and crazy and overwhelming most days.  I’m in awe of how much she is accomplishing.  And yet...she took the time to notice something as simple as the sunlight streaming through a fall leaf.  

I want to be like Jess and notice what is put in front of me.  Don’t we all?  I have to wonder how many times I have been in “the right place at the right time” and totally missed it because I was too concerned with all of the busyness around me!  How many leaves with sunlight streaming through them have I missed because I have my eyes to the job before me and I don’t look up?  How many wonderful sounds do I miss, a melody sung by a bird, the gurgle of the creek, the wind in the trees, the sound of my son’s laughter.  How many sights do I not take note of each day?  The color of the sky as the sun both makes its first appearance of the day and its last goodbye of the night.  The rich deviation of color as summer slowly fades into fall.  The unsuspecting doe and fawn grazing in the hay meadow.  The way that a flock of ducks come in for a landing on the creek.  The older couple walking hand in hand in the evening.

I’m always amazed at the skill of my photography friends.  I have to wonder if they have their cameras out and eyes on the lookout for the perfect image to snap at all times.  I think that they have eyes trained to see life around them more acutely and notice what a lot of us miss.  But what if we started looking at life around us with a photographer’s eye?   I don’t know the story of what’s going on in your life, what kind of hectic chaos you are facing today.  I suspect that, like me, you will be hastily walking from one task to the next, your mind on a to-do list a mile long.  Maybe you’re distracted by conflict; going over and over in your head a conversation with a friend or family member that was hard.  I imagine that Jessica was caught up in the chaos of her day as well, maybe she was just trying to figure out what in the world to cook for dinner that night when suddenly God shone His light through a leaf on a tree and Jessica stopped and took notice, really seeing the beauty in front of her.  At the right place at the right time?  Maybe, but she took a moment to notice and actually appreciate it, and I imagine that it brought her a little calm in the midst of her chaos.