During an evening walk, I found this view to be stunning at dusk. As the sun was setting, the clouds were pink. This lasted for only a few minutes. Everything was changing, and I could have missed this moment easily. I’m glad I was there to look up, and I’m grateful I snapped a photo of it.
About once a week on this blog, usually on Saturdays or Sundays, I share images and call the post, “Today in Nature.” On Facebook, however, I share such photos daily. There is so much beauty to notice daily, and when we’re transitioning from one season to another, these daily changes become even more abundant.
Last night, I was thinking about this daily practice I have, and I was remembering something wise I heard in a TedTalk, though please forgive me because I’ve forgotten who the speaker was. He was talking about nature and how to motivate people to care for the earth. We may be greatly motivated at times by the devastating and scary reports about the unfolding climate crisis — that is true. But he also said, “We will protect what we love.” So he tries to help people fall in love with nature.
I hope in a tiny way, my photos are doing that. But most of all, I want to encourage people to get outside — walking, sitting, noticing, slowing down. As we care for our mental health in these ways, we may also fall in love with what’s around us.
–Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 