In The Moment

I am making good progress on one of my retirement pledges to walk.  Not doing so well yet on some of the others such as cleaning out closets and cupboards, but I have plenty of time for that (she says optimistically)! 

To say I as out of shape while I was working would be an major understatement. The hospital where I worked is huge and sometimes it could be 1/4 mile from where I would end up parking to my office. I could do short spurts, but I had no endurance.

Since January, I have worked up to being able to walk 3 miles without a single ache, pain, or issue. I am able to enjoy my surroundings, observe the flora and fauna-as much as there is in an urban environment, and really have a peaceful meditation time in the outdoors. It is one of the most enjoyable parts of this new non-work lifestyle.

Today's walk led me up and down the streets of my neighborhood, through the beautiful forest park near my house, and down my favorite street where I imagine the interiors of various wonderful old homes. I heard various birds, including a noisy woodpecker and some somber sounding mourning doves, saw a flock of hens pecking around in the grass while busily clucking at each other, a couple of squirrels chasing each other up and down a massive cedar tree, smelled the wonderful scent of wood smoke and rich mulchy earth, observed more and more early spring bulbs starting to peek out from their winter underground, and even some new buds on a cherry tree.

Being in the moment while I am on my little treks is extremely beneficial for erasing any cares I may have (such as current politics) and resets my mind and body in the most healthy way.  I have included a picture of a poem by the late Ursula K. LeGuin that someone had framed and posted at the edge of their yard. Lovely, and I am happy to say I made it home before the skies opened up and rained up a storm.

Picture This

We have a new camera and do I have a lot to learn.  This is something I have wanted for ages, a Nikon DSLR. I have had a small Fuji FinePix point and shoot type of camera and if I do say so myself, I have taken some good shots with it over the years. In fact, this blog was created because of buying that camera and needing a reason to take pictures.

Now though I have an honest-to-goodness professional camera and it's a bit overwhelming. I have been watching many YouTube videos on this particular model and its' settings and capabilities. I have started to experiment a bit just inside the house and as soon as the weather improves some, I can't wait to take it out and about.

I will say it isn't as convenient as my little Fuji camera or my cell phone for just sticking it in my purse and having a camera at the ready, but when I am ready to really try my hand at still life photos or portraits, I can't wait to use this new one. 

It has a multitude of settings for particular scenes already pre- programmed, but I have been learning about using the manual mode and setting things myself as I did with the picture above.  This picture was taken in rather low lighting with the aperture set low so as to blur the background objects with a clear focal point.  I absolutely love the detail this camera can capture.  If you look very closely you can see the dust bits on the rocks.  Perhaps I need to put the camera down and get out the dust cloth!