Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be. — Eckhart Tolle
As I was walking back down the beach after a no-show sunrise, I saw this man bobbing up and down in the water. He had, from my point of view, not a care in the world. He was at peace. He was one with the universe. He was in the moment.
This image was a reminder to me, both at the time that I took it and each time I look at it. For a while, after reading The Power of Now, one of my favorite books, I was living, for the most part, in the moment. Recently, my mind has begun to run hither and yon, thinking about past wrongs, etc., or futures that might be not what I want them to be. I’ve picked up the book again to center myself and to again reach that quiet place that is so very fulfilling. I’ve also realized that I’ve not been taking my few minutes of quiet time each day, which seemed to help me immensely.
Looking back at my beach pictures that I’ve taken, most of them are peaceful shots, or what represents peace to me. Sometimes I wonder if I am capturing the peace that I seek, or that I already have. Sometimes, I just don’t know. 
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6 Responses to “Oneness”
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What a couple of cracking shots Paul, especially the first. I’d say looking at it gives me the same experience you’re talking about – thinking of the atmosphere in the scene and in my imagination, experiencing it a little bit, even sitting here at my desk
and there’s a good chance that you’re capturing a sense of peace you feel when you’re there, so you can call it up again when you look at the photograph.
I think there’s been a certain backlash in photography against shooting traditionally ‘beautiful’ scenes like this one, labelling them as cliche and unoriginal. It’s such a shame, because escapism is an element of photography that makes it worthwhile and enjoyable for me. There’s so much importance put these days on getting away from the ‘pretty’ and trying to find ‘meaningful’ and it’s easily forgotten how we can find the latter, in the former. But how can it not be meaningful, if it makes you happy to be alive?!?!
Capturing a moment of peace is a way for me to connect to that which seems fleeting in what is usually a much too hectic life.
Lovely set of photos that definitely capture those peaceful moments we all seem not to have enough of.
Paul, these photos are both so soothing. I like the scale of the first–the smallness of the man in the water, against the beauty of God’s creation. Wow. There’s a message in there somewhere. Coincidentally (although I don’t believe in coincidences), I posted a similar thought today at Photo Buffet.
Thanks for another great post. Your images and words always leave me thinking.
either way, you caught some really cool sun-rise rays. I like it.
Don’t remember where I heard it before, but it touches the same cord: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”. I really think that’s a nice motto for starting a day – makes it kind of precious. And quite, calm days certainly a very precious indeed, we (I) simply don’t have too few of them… In that sense: I like your first shot, it fits perfectly.
As usual this is really my third trip to Lesterville before I get around to commenting as I always get to reading and thinking and by then it has become time to do something else.