variations on the same theme

I kinda get the feeling that all of my photos are starting to look the same. There is really nothing new. I just like walking around with my camera sometimes. It helps me slow down and look.

You know that saying by Socrates: "the unexamined life is not worth living."

I like how looking closely changes the way I see things. The way that a ditch of weeds changes from this:

to this:

the way a mess and tangle is transformed from this:

to, if not something beautiful, then at least something fascinating and interesting:

It never gets old to me.

Sometimes, I know, distance is necessary for proper perspective on things. We get too close to our issues and our problems and our vision is blurred and the "big picture" gets lost. But then sometimes, I think we need to look a little closer instead of backing away. Step in, down in the ditch and notice something there that we didn't see before. We need to see it differently, from way up close, to find something worthwhile in what looked like a mess.

And that's why I never stop looking.