What good is time if I remain anchored and am not transported by it into new experiences; and what good are new experiences if they they do not lead to new knowledge, new understanding, new sensations, new skills and new ideas? -Guy Tal

 

I have no idea where the first month of 2016 has went. I must have dropped it right at the end of 2015 because for the life of me I can not find it. The last 4-6 weeks have been stuck in the mud for sure. Not for any particular reason and not particularly productive as well. I could try to convince myself it has just been a relaxing period but I’m not sure that is true. Maybe just a down cycle in daily routines.

I have not actually neglected things. If you follow me on facebook you will see regular posts. It seems to be a quick way to touch base with the rest of the world. January Print Of The Month was made available so there has been good use of time. I am slightly distraught about one thing, that would be the lack of what feels like winter. I think until my neck of the woods are completely blanketed in snow it just doesn’t feel like winter to me. Now the holidays have come and gone and I am not real sure I can recapture the mood even if snow did cover the lands.

I have made it out a couple of times each week over the last over the last month. Right now it is the season of mostly brown in the grasslands. I am drawn towards water for some reason in the winter, or what I hope to be frozen waters. A few trips to nearby lakes and reservoirs have been fun but again not tremendously productive photograph wise.

I am beginning to see something ever so slightly emerge from this slow period. For the last few years I have become more interested in, for the lack of better words, the smaller landscape. This seems to take place during the winter months. And not even landscapes as such but small scenes, possibly more of a pattern or abstract nature. Not real sure what it is because I still have looked forward to the wonder sunsets winter provides and have seen some nice ones the last couple of weeks. Most of my creative adventure time has been searching for things I normally don’t seek out but just happen to find along the way. I love patterns in ice, leaves frozen in ice, these are some of the things I have been on the lookout for since any measurable amount of snow has eluded this area. My time has been more of observing such things with a few photographs thrown in here and there.

In setting here contemplating my recent here and there, nonchalant attitude, a couple of things strike me very severely. First, I am not sure I want to just do things on a here and there basis. Second, I don’t have all that many more years if all I am going to do is drag my feet. This “time” thing is wickedly honest. It does not stop for anything or anyone. Whether your climbing mountains or napping on a Sunday afternoon old man time keeps right on moving. I wish when I slept or just set around being lazy time would stop so I would have more years in search of pleasurable things when I chose to do them. Not that sleeping or goofing off can’t be pleasurable, but it does depend on what you want to accomplish in life. Or at least have a chance to experience. Plus one more brutally honest thing about time. We never know when ours will be up. I’m not real sure if I should think about it more or less. It doesn’t really matter anyway. What matters is what we do when we have it.

I knew when I started writing a new post here a few thoughts would pop into my mind. Funny how that works. I always think I don’t have much to write simply because I can not think of anything specific. Then, when I begin things I never thought of seem to magically pop into my head. I believe it may be that way with many who struggle with creative endeavors. It’s hard to get started because you either have no ideas to begin with or too many ideas to know where to start. I think I will keep chugging along like the little engine. Slow and steady has it’s merits. Just as long as I keep it at a minimum of slow, and not stuck.

Dance Of Light

Late day light dancing across a section of the tallgrass prairie. ©Brad Mangas