I love taking landscape photos, especially sunrise and sunset photos. Every one has similarities, yet they are all different. It is my time to escape…to relax…to sit in “awe” of what has been created for me…for us. Last year Sarah and I went with the kids to Utah, and Zion. One day we took off to Page, Arizona, and went through antelope canyon. Wow!!!! You are in the desert and enter an amazing world of sandstone created by wind and water. The photos from this trip have made this one of the best places I have ever visited. But you don’t have to go anywhere special to be in awe of what natures creates. Jackson Park is one mile from my house, and I have taken more photos there than anywhere else. I went out around 8PM Tuesday night when my daughter Megan told me the Northern Lights were visible. I took off and got an incredible show that I have never seen before. And I did not have to go to Alaska to see it!
The greens and reds and color dancing was amazing! I sent some to her and Sarah to see what I was getting, and Megan replied back: “Are you out there giggling like a little boy on Christmas morning?” Yep…I sure was! I had never seen anything like this before. Earlier in the year I saw the Northern Lights for the first time, in Jackson Park, but that time was a fraction of what I saw Tuesday night. This was a perfect example of when nature interrupts routine. We all get busy. We are all “rushing” to get things done. But sometimes, movement isn’t the point. Sometimes the point is to pause. To look up. To be still. To feel small. To remember that you are part of something much bigger than yourself. That evening under the lights wasn’t on my schedule. But it was exactly the kind of reminder I didn’t know I needed. “Awe has a way of realigning your mind.” When we let ourselves marvel at the extraordinary, we reconnect with why we do what what we do: to live fully, to feel deeply, and to not miss the opportunities we come across that is a part of living.
That is why the sunrise and sunset photos are so special to me. Each one tells a story. Many times, the sunrise sets the stage for the day, and the sunsets help bring a memorable close to the day. It is peaceful. Beautiful. Relaxing. Sometimes the real moments of gratitude arrive uninvited. You don’t need to be in hurry with things…to “get more done”…you just need to slow down, or even stop…and just look up! Keep moving everybody…but remember to take those times to slow down and appreciate what is in front of us. Enjoy each day, and let the “awe” help reset your day!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: #627