Light

A departure from my usual haunt, this time we were walking in the Arboretum on a recent sunny, humid, almost-hot day. When we noticed a path off to the right and up the hillside, the prospect of shade made it an easy decision.

We walked up a somewhat steep incline on a rough but serviceable utility road that leveled out after several hundred yards or so. I’d been looking at my feet to avoid roots and rocks.

Then I looked up and saw this simple woodland scene. Dappled light through leaves making patterns on the ground and peeking through the trees. The play of dark and light, the mix of vertical and horizontal branches and trunks, the clouds peeking through the trees - all of these elements added such richness and complexity to what I was looking at. Suddenly it wasn’t as simple a scene as I first thought.

I have a feeling that there are lots of situations like this if I would stop to notice. This day I did!