Kissing the Water
In 1851, Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal, “The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” His words feel quite relevant to an experience I had last week.
On that fine fall morning, I headed to my favorite park in Charlotte for a walk. I wasn’t planning to bring a camera, because I simply wanted to take a stroll and enjoy the morning unencumbered as I sipped a pumpkin smoothie.
Besides, I’ve been visiting Freedom Park for over 25 years – what could I possibly find new to capture that I hadn’t already photographed?
At the last minute, I decided to sling a camera over my shoulder anyway. Just in case.
I walked at a leisurely pace around the lake, enjoying the sights and sounds but leaving the camera untouched. Despite the postcard-perfect views, I wasn’t seeing anything among the familiar sights that inspired a click of the shutter. And that was fine by me. Taking pictures wasn’t the point of this morning’s relaxing leg-stretch.
But then, as I rounded the final turn of the paved walkway around the lake, I saw something that made my senses come alive.
I saw a group of long, slender vines reaching down from the outstretched branches of a tree, the leaves just kissing the surface of the water. The reflections of the dangling leaves danced on the water’s surface, creating dark swirling patterns that seemed to come from a spilled ink bottle.
Once again, I was reminded that even though we may see the same things day in and day out, there’s always something new to appreciate. Thoreau was right: It’s not what we look at, but what we see.
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