pine cone, Berkeley, CA, Canon Rebel Xti
Oh, I had so many things I was going to write about today and I threw them all out the window. All of them were thrown for the simplest of reasons: this pine cone that caught my eye today. It had fallen from the next door neighbor’s tree, and although that very same tree greets me every morning and every night, I had never fully examined until today. This one perfect pine cone gave me pause.
I rushed inside, pulled out my camera and started snapping. (I like to photograph something at that first moment I see it because It never looks quite the same after that) It is in that moment, suspended in time, in all its shockingly perfect beauty that I feel like I get a tiny glimpse through the veil, and poof! there it is, pine cone, as if I had never seen one in my entire life.
What am I pointing to? Perhaps the way that art helps us to see, or how every once in a while, when you’re not even expecting it, the world with throw you a little magic if you’re willing to catch it. I suspect that meditation helps increase our capacity for seeing our lives clearly, or maybe hiking in cool air or riding a horse? I don’t know.
All I know was that I was grateful for my little earthquake today. It shook me just enough to see what was right in front of me.
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Thanks for the reminder to pay attention to the little things – even in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
Blessings, Nicole
I love this.
Both the photo and what you got from this “little earthquake.”
paying attention is wonderful — but being open to seeing beauty and wonder takes it to another level… thanks!
There is something magical in the pine cone, like the golden mean, the symmetry…The perfection of a moment. Thank you.
I love the photo, and your realization that in that first moment, that is when you are truly seeing it. When this happens to me in magical moments, suddenly, I am really SEEING it whateveritis. Yesterday it was a fuzzy horse in a blanket of snow, waiting at the fence of a farm I pass by on my way to work. In that moment I really saw it, right down to its whiskers. Thank you Andrea for the sweet reminder of both the presence of magic and the need to be willing and open to it.
love these colors!
and it is a perfect pine cone.
i am looking forward to reflecting on my mondo beyondo list and creating a new one for the coming year.
one of the things on my list for 2009 is exactly what you mentioned. being more open and aware of the magic that comes my way and being willing to catch it and not be so afraid of success. i seem to fear it for some reason and i would like to change that.
as always thanks for giving me a kick in the pants cutie.
your friend,
meesh
Amazing!
Breathtaking!
Awe-inspiring!
LOVE the bits of magic that pop into our lives from time to time. Thank goodness for them!
That was poetry. I love that too. That first moment you really “see” something. My husband and I were talking about that last night. You have to bring your camera with you when you go to a new place for the very first time – because after that the magic is gone and you can’t see it in the same way anymore. One of his favorite instructors when he was in Art School named James Fee, suggested the same thing to him before a trip to Paris. He said it will never look the way it did the first time you go so take all of your gear and get ready!
I love how the viewfinder is a window to the sacred. It helps you to see “god” or whatever you want to call that thing that is bigger then we are and our little stories about ourselves.
Thank you for saying a similar thing about it. I love the connection and have been away from it for a few months now.
Love that Andrea!
I was listening to this while looking at it, thought I’d send it to ya since it seemed to really fit the mood of your post. Merry Christmas.
Beautiful capture. I love how photography has helped me see the hidden beauty in things.
little bits of heaven.
I love when snippets of beauty just fall at our feet–and we’re mindful enough to be aware of them. Beautiful image and words, Andrea!
That is beautiful.
It really is a lovely pinecone. 🙂
“It shook me just enough to see what was right in front of me.”… kinda like this post did to me. thank you. and that pine cone photo? fabulous!
This is pure Zen!~
I love coming to your blog. What a photo! It says everything you said in words.
Is this a lensbaby? I love the lensbaby.
Thanks for the inspiration. It is good to be reminded to slow down enough to notice the little things in nature that pack such a punch.
Thanks for the inspiration. It is good to be reminded to slow down enough to notice the little things in nature that pack such a punch.
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