Red on grey on a windy day

Brilliantly defiant
London, ON
October 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

So I found a little color, after all.

It wasn’t much, just a couple of strands of ivy clinging stubbornly to a worn wooden fence amid a stiff autumn wind intent on getting rid of it. But it was enough to merit some exploration with the lens.

The funny thing is I had just about given up. We were almost home, and the grey sky over the grey landscape reflected our grey mood.

But then we rounded a corner and this was waiting for us, a tiny bolt of color defiantly standing against the relentless monochrome that surrounded it.

I’m sharing it here as a reminder of a few simple truths:

1. Beauty is everywhere, particularly where we least expect it.
2. We should never give up hope even when the evidence is overwhelmingly grey.
3. Life holds on tenaciously even in the harshest of places.

Again, something tells me these reedy little leaves are an analog, but I’ll leave that pondering for another time. For now, the skies are still relentlessly dark, and it’s time to head back into the woods to find the hidden slivers of color that I know are out there.

Today and every day, these tiny exceptions are always out there. We owe it to ourselves and each other to stamp out the overwhelming doubts that now cloud our minds and our hearts, and look harder for them.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #medway #valley #heritage #forest #tree #trees #red #ivy #leaves #thames #river #stilllife #nature #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

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