Spring, a time of rebirth

My Reflections:

I love all the seasons, for very different reasons. But I just adore springtime. Earlier this April, while walking with my family along a trail near our home, I caught some sunlight peeking through newly reborn oak leaves. The day was perfect, the light was perfect. I only had to focus and snap the picture. And I was pleasantly surprised by the effect of the backlighting on the leaves.

While on our outing, I couldn’t help but reflect on the wonder of the natural world waking up after a very long sleep. Everything seems to move slowly, stretching stiff figurative muscles, and yawning hugely before embarking on a new beginning. New plants sprout and turn their faces to the sunlight, a warm hello after months of slumber and dreaming. Animals and birds are rejuvenated, ready to play, eat heartily again, find mates, and build homes. It’s an incredible transformation to witness every year (if you’re fortunate to live in a temperate climate), a new world emerging in a matter of a few weeks. Like an annual miracle.

Springtime always rejuvenates my soul…and reminds me that life is really about cycles or ebbs and flows. Creating, living, letting go, resting, sleeping deeply, awakening slowly, and then evolving and recreating. Springtime, the rebirth of nature after a long winter, is always a lesson for me, that I can recreate myself every year if I so choose. We all can.

Mother Nature’s Voice:

“Sunlight nourishes everything on this earth. New life bursts forth with the help of the sun’s warm rays, a treasured gift after months of dormancy. Springtime is a renewal of life, an awakening, a rebirth into a world full of wonder, aliveness, miracles, and vibrancy. Everything awakens in the spring after a long, quiet sleep, like the slow, sweet melody that becomes a grand symphony. All plants, animals, insects, trees, even the soils and rocks know their parts to play in the song. Humans have slowly forgotten their parts over time, become disconnected from the flowing music that is in perfect time. Nature, with all of its musicians, waits for humans to join in the grand song again. Those who go out and connect with nature, they can hear the song and the stories if they listen closely, still others feel every note in their hearts and their bones, as if their very bodies were made of the musical notes themselves. Humans are meant to be part of the harmony, to be of service to nature as it is to humans. Springtime is a reminder of this agreement, a reminder of the rebirth and reconnection to the symphony that is possible. Humans too can be nourished by the sun, fresh air, and the rain.

The lessons to be learned are numerous and great, each tree, each plant, each rock has a tale to tell, wisdom to impart. One only needs to be still and listen, the stories will come to your ears and your hearts as whispers on the breeze, or the flit of bird wings, or the hum of a bee. The heart will know the messages intended for you. And this connection will leave you renewed, healed of your heartaches, nourished by the spirit of nature.”

Photo specs:

• Camera                Nikon D90
• F-stop                   f/11
• Exposure              1/2000 sec
• ISO                        ISO-320
• Exposure bias     +0.7 step
• Focal length         66 mm
• Max aperture       4.8