The year has ended, and I took a walk with my camera through a valley. As I scrambled over rocks and crossed a stream again and again, I found birds and trees and flowers speaking to me, telling me to reflect on this past year, my actions, my choices. This book is a collection of my photos and the thoughts that came to me as I walked on this final day of the year. Here are a few of the thoughts you will stumble across as you read my book:
"I see a bush, no leaves, just a thousand twigs all wrapped around each other and I take its photo. Why? What is so special about this bland messy mass? I think about that for a moment, looking and reflecting, and I believe I know the answer. Maybe it has something to do with the way things really are in life. Color is nice, but it doesn't last. Order becomes disorder. Youth transforms into old age. And that has my attention, as I see that more and more in my own life, my face, my mind, my actions."
"I see a stick and stop to take a look. It used to be a part of a tree. Now it is just a curved stick, interesting to see, but of little use anymore. I think back on this year and wonder if what I did mattered. Will any of it be remembered? Which activities were a waste of my time, irrelevant, and which choices will survive the year's termination and keep going? My writing? My projects? I talked with a friend about this and we both vowed to focus more on what matters, the things that endure."
"I see the spots on this leaf and wonder why they are there. What purpose do they serve? I don't know the answer, but this leaf is no longer attached to a tree. The green will turn brown, just like the others beneath it. This happens to every leaf. None are immortal. Each leaf has a finite amount of days to live, and so do we, only so much time to do and feel and create. I can't help but think of my life and what I have done so far. What will survive me? And what will fade into oblivion, unnoticed, irrelevant?"
If you are interested in more books like this one, then take a look at these others that I have created:
A soft answer
Don't Quit
How to Survive When things don't go your way
I can't stop the rain
The Sun Still Shines
Finding the Truth While Exploring the Woods
Thinking About Life While Exploring the Woods
Whispered Words I Heard While Outdoors
Life and Its Possibilities
Things I Discovered When I Explored the Woods