As we walked through the alley in the dusk found on the edges of a fading day and emerging night, the light was seductively dancing, almost begging for someone, anyone to notice. I paused and caught a group of friends sitting in an outdoor café, laughing about some story I could not hear. A quick picture using my iPhone filled the time I had.
When I go back to my phone, I feel the light, see the air, and experience the way positive relationships touch everyone, even strangers watching from a distance. I remember and relive the scene all over again.
I showed the picture to others who were with me, hoping to share the moment. As I answer the where and when questions, I realize I am introducing each to a new moment.
The lessons of awareness have come slowly. Everything changed on a photography vacation in Alaska. One predawn morning, as we rumbled along, sitting in trailers pulled by ATVs, there was a shout to stop. Everyone was looking at the other through bleary eyes wondering why. Finally, someone said what we were thinking.
“What do you see?” I silently added the words, “that we do not.”
“The light and reflections are perfect!”
If I close my eyes, I see and feel the scenes which followed. I also still practice the lessons which came from that cold wet predawn morning in the Alaskan wilderness.
Pay attention to what is within oneself. Good, bad, light, and dark. Follow the psalmist’s lead; “I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away, my heart heavy, like lead.” (Psalm 143.4).
Create space to just be. Beauty and wonder are everywhere. Give yourself permission to be simply and fully present, observing whatever is around you. The goal is not to find anything. This step creates the opportunity.
Savor the awareness when it comes. It may take some time. It will not always happen. When it does, slow down even further. Rest. Reflect. Recover the details and save them within.
Awareness is an invitation to experience Divinity, love, and beauty.
