Saturday, March 13, 2021

Finding the subtle colors within

Look for the blue
London, ON
February 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


Winter's gotten a bit of a reputation as a colorless season, and I think it's rather undeserved.

Of course, this very spot, captured on a bitterly cold and snowy February afternoon, was very likely ablaze with color just a few months earlier. So, yes, in comparison to the touristy autumn pics that dominate our feeds every autumn, this is pretty bland.

Or is it?

I was wearing the typically Canadian uniform of a huge parka, and boots and woolies fit for a North Pole expedition. I had nowhere else to be, and I was rather enjoying the silence of the forest. So I stood there for a ridiculously long time and allowed my eyes, ears, and mind to absorb the place.

The longer I stood there, the more I was able to take in. The subtle shifts in color and texture, the impossibly complex curves of the countless branches, the sound the wind made as it moved through them. I saw, heard, and felt things well beyond my original assumptions.

Like colors. They're pretty riotous in their own right after you let yourself really take them in. Admittedly, they're not remotely like an autumn blaze. More muted and subtle. They don't scream. They whisper.

But who says everything needs to be an explosion of reds, oranges, and yellows, anyway? Comparing then and now isn't a zero-sum-game, where one has to win and the other has to lose. Both scenes and times are inspiring for very different reasons - and bonus, I get to enjoy these in absolute solitude.

So if you do one thing this weekend, please find a similarly subtle scene, then allow yourself the time to truly appreciate it. And if you want to share it and tag me so that we can continue the conversation, so much the better.

Enjoy.

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