Where the rushing waters flow

So much can happen in half a second
London, ON
October 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I went for a bit of a wander over the weekend. The mission was a typically simple one: walk through the woods and look for autumn color.

The universe had other plans, as there was no color to be had. Correction: there WAS color, just not the brilliantly saturated kind that typically defines the season.

So I switched gears, and instead sought out other forms of inspiration in the still-muted landscape.

Like long-ish monochrome exposures of the fast-flowing river that runs through the valley. Never mind that I hadn’t brought a tripod: the bridge railing made for a handy brace point, and before long I was (oh so carefully) shooting over the edge, experimenting with various exposure combinations until I was happy with the results.

This little photographic moment wouldn’t have happened if everything had gone according to the original plan.

But that’s the thing about plans: we may make them, but the universe often has plans of its own. And the universe always wins.

So rather than focusing on what we might lose when we encounter an unplanned tangent, we’re probably better off focusing on the unexpected blessings that drop into our lap while we’re busy navigating the resulting detours.

I’m learning this lesson, albeit slowly, that life’s not about getting what we want. Rather, it’s about getting the most out of whatever we happen to encounter along the way.

This time out it was softly textured monochrome instead of sharply defined colors. Next time it could be anyone’s guess.

I’ll just have to go for another wander to find out.

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Related:

Half-frozen river, February 2021

Brushed by time, September 2017

The end of the big blue ocean, June 2012

Rotting in plain sight, March 2012