Photography, Life
Raindrops for Dennett
Wandering the garden with my Nikon Z9 and a 105mm macro lens after the rain
Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth, that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning; that there is always another dawn risen on mid-noon, and under every deep a lower deep opens. — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Circles
Peering into the darkened and wet world of my macroscopic garden the morning after a soft fall rain, I found myself contemplating the balance of forces in the world. Without darkness there would be no light. And without light, we would never know the dark.
Perfect spheres, looking glasses reflecting the rest of the garden, dotted the tender flesh of the succulents. A purple haze of fuzz lifted the weight of those drops. So light, so delicate, are those tiny hairs that I’m not sure that the water ever actually ever touched the skin.
There is much to be learned from the world of the very small. What forces hold those droplets together? What allows one to merge with another? Is it so different than with souls?
I am so often reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay about circles of perception and about how easy it is to be ensnared within one circle. Circles of pain and grief seem to be the hardest to escape.
But even within those moments, there are always “droplets of joy” to be found. There is wonder in the world, perched on the knife-edge of a moment, ready to slip away if we don’t notice it.
But, sometimes, it is hard to see that those droplets are there. We might need a reminder. And we might need to remind others.
Like raindrops, gathered together upon the pads of a succulent, we are all unique and we are all in the process of forming and re-forming inside of circles upon circles of life experiences. But, like water, we are all connected by a common source.
Dedicated to Dennett, who loves raindrops and who is dealing with some darkness in her life right now. Please know that your writing community is thinking about you and Captain Argentina.
Thank you to Louise Peacock who had the idea of sending Dennett and Captain Argentina a virtual card during this difficult time.
Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).
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Photos and story ©Erika Burkhalter. All rights reserved.