Earl, of Meandering Passage, reminded me of something really important. He doesn’t realize that he did, so I’ll tell him how. I was reading this entry of his blog, which talks about being in the moment. It explains how he sat down on the edge of the bank and just watched.
I’ve been looking to capture the flow of the evening, but it has eluded me, mainly because I wanted to find it, rather than letting it find me. I’m certainly a morning person. I understand it. I feel it. I’m patient with it. I love to watch the day awaken.
In the evening, I’m tired, impatient, and the weather is hot and humid. I’m not really interested in watching things develop. I want some air conditioning and windows to keep the insects away. The other day, I went to Ashely River again and took a few pictures. I thought that this one was very appropriate: Slow to no wake. That’s the approach I need to take.
I went out again this evening. I left work at 5:30 and the traffic was terrible, so I went in the opposite direction … to the beach. I hung out there for about 90 minutes and enjoyed the warm and humid breezes, and tried to get a feel for the evening. I’m not there yet, but I certainly felt better about being out.
One thing is for sure, you certainly meet some interesting people out in the evening. In the morning, I usually only see people out walking their dogs! When I saw this couple, I just had to take a picture of them. As they walked by, I said loudly: “All hail the queen!”. The lady got a kick out that and gave me a high-five! The guy, well he just smiled. What could he say?!
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5 Responses to “The importance of patience”
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I find that in general I am also a morning person. However that tends to change in the cold weather when the early evening temps are easier to tolerate than the early morning temps.
I think the top photo has the right message. Slow down and make no wake, just take it slow. Changing gears after being out and at full throttle is not as easy as it sounds sometimes. It’s like traveling highway for hours and then exiting the highway onto 30 MPH residential streets, it’s hard to change the mindset and slow down. It feels odd somehow at first.
Thanks for the mention…
I’m more of an evening person myself. I usually find it very unwinding and relaxing to watch the last hour(s) of the day slowly dissipate. Either it has been a good day, then I can enjoy the memories – or it wasn’t one of the best but then it’s too late to change anyway. Maybe some sloow planning for tomorrow, but nothing more.
In the mornings I’m usually too tense with “ok, next meeting is in an hour, need to check mails before, where do I find that dammned powerpoint file…” etc.
Well, mountain comes to Muhammed
Wazup Paul?
Now look at those folks having fun! Who do they think they are? Clearly they don’t understand the situation.
On a relatively more serious note, it all comes to us on a daily basis. I do the best I can with what I can when I can without being hurried. What is the old expression, “Life is what is going on while I’m thinking about something else?” Morning or evening make slittle difference, though I too probably do better in the morning.
Now… don’t be a stranger.
John
I love the top photo. A whole volume of taoist wisdom in one image.