Today I read a quote from Thoreau's journals that really got me thinking. He says: "One moment of life costs many hours - hours not of business but of preparation & invitation . . . That aim in life is highest which requires the highest & finest discipline." So often, we allow ourselves to remain passive to whatever stimuli arise in the moment, subconsciously letting our attention be swayed this way and that. What if instead we imagined that everything happening in our life up until this point has been intended to reveal the wonders of THIS VERY moment? How mindfully and reverently we would live the present!
I think of the preparation and planning it required to take this photo. I knew that the sun currently sets at this location about 3:30, so I had to get to the lake before that. However, I knew I shouldn't arrive TOO soon beforehand because the wind would most likely be intense, precluding me from staying for very long. On this particular day, the wind was completely calm, a rare occurrence for wintertime. Therefore, I was able to lie down comfortably on the ice - with gloveless hands - and experiment with different angles and approaches. Then, when the sun was just right on the horizon, I was ready for it! It was this kind of preparation, invitation and discipline that enabled me to appreciate this special moment, one that involved sunset rays and and amazing luminescent ice.
Photo: Ice on The Loch at sunset; Rocky Mountain National Park, CO; February 8, 2013
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