Yesterday, knowing that today is the longest day, I briefly considered that I might get up this morning pre-dawn and go out with my camera seeking pictures of daybreak. Very briefly! Laziness won and the anticipation of a full eight hours sleep totally trumped the idea of clambering, bleary-eyed, out of bed at some ungodly hour this am.
However, I did go out yesterday evening for a long walk in the hope of capturing, through my lens, the sunset: sadly it was cloudy so there was no dramatic multicoloured sky as the sun sank. I walked for almost two hours which makes it sounds like I covered an across-a-continent distance but in fact I didn’t because I stopped multitudinous times to take photos, none of which I am actually happy with and worse I am not sure what I did wrong.
Walking time is thinking time but paradoxically it’s also a time when I mostly live in the now. Especially if I am walking by the sea as I caught up in looking at and listening to the sights and sounds around me. Yesterday evening’s attention grabbers were: the rhythmic ripple of placid waves; the squalls of seagulls scattering skyward; and the splash of breaking water as swimmers jumped into the sea.
We are forever urged to live in the present but that is, I think, a counsel of perfection. I know I often find myself contemplating the landscape of my past or worrying about some future eventuality that might or might not happen. My favourite closing line to a novel is from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’, it goes as follows “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” It often springs to mind when I walk by the sea and for me it neatly encapsulates how hard it can be to, in the tug of that current, to live totally in the moment.
When I got back from my walk my mind was on the future but in a good way as in I am looking forward to improving my photographic skills when I start my course. And I was also thinking that as I don’t walk even half enough that I will do the ten-thousand steps a day challenge.
I hope you have a good week.
Just Add Attitude 
What a lovely post, I think your photo is great. Looking forward to seeing more of your work as you take the course. I love walking either very early in the morning or late in the evening. Nothing very scenic here in Brooklyn but it’s still nice to walk. Would love to live near the water.
Thank you so much. I too like late evening walking especially in the summer. I agree it’s always nice too walk and I am very lucky that I live close to the sea so there is always the ever changing seascape to look at.
What a delightful walk but I do agree with you and F. Scott Fitzgerald; my mind is always being dragged away by other currents.
Mine too, the living in the moment thing is difficult!
Walking is definitely a wonderful time for reflection. I just recently got a pedometer because I’m trying to work more walking into my daily life. I was surprised how hard it can be to hit 10,000 steps some days! In fact, I need to take a walk this evening to get a few more thousand steps!
I agree Heather, walking is a wonderful time for reflection. I am thinking of measuring my steps and I am wondering about getting a fitbit – I need to do some research. I imagine I will have difficulty hitting the magic ten thousand every day, but I think counting my steps will encourage me to do more walking.
I love walking. Don’t get me wrong though. I would never get up early in the morning for a walk. I love my bed too much! 😉 But I enjoy doing it at sunset. I feel like I reconcile with the world.
I agree, walking usually puts me at one with the world too. I like my bed too hence I wasn’t prepared to get out of it to try to capture the sunset on the longest day. I will do so sometime maybe in September when the days are shorter so at least then I can get a semi-decent night’s sleep. 😉
Wonderful musings and very well written.
If you are going for the 10,000 steps a day, get a good pedometer. I wear my everyday and it urges me on when I lag. I don’t meet my goal everyday, but much more than if I didn’t wear one.
Thank you so much and I am chuffed with your compliment.
I am thinking of buying a pedometer – I don’t think I will meet my goal everyday either!
Thanks for letting me camp out in your blog for a little while today. I had a great time and tried to leave my campsite as good as when I arrived. I’ll be back!
Thank you for your comment. Camping out on a blog is a good expression, I like it.
Camping out allows me to get to know people better rather than just reading one post every month or so.
😉