Morning walks are keeping me going at the moment. Especially on those crisp, bright mornings, when there’s still a hint of frost on the ground and a misty haze hangs low in the air, creating those amazing beams of golden light as the sun streams through the trees.
I’ve always walked, and taken photos. My ongoing project Close Range is all about noticing and documenting tiny, seemingly insignificant, and often overlooked details in my local area. With my camera in my hand I notice things, even on the greyest of days or in the most turbulent of times - a shadow, the curl of a leaf, a particular colour or texture that brings a moment of joy, and I can become completely absorbed in the here and now, the present moment, and my mental chatter just drops away.
As well as being helpful to my wellbeing by giving me a break from my thoughts, I feel like it’s helped build my resilience too - by making a practice of noticing and appreciating tiny pockets of beauty in the everyday world, I feel like I’ve increased my ability to cope with difficult situations - to know that even in really hard times, there are pin pricks of light amongst the darkness.
These are some photos I took recently on an early morning walk, just before lockdown. Now we’re only allowed out once a day for exercise, those morning walks feel even more precious.
Why I Wake Early, by Mary Oliver
Hello, sun in my face
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and the crotchety -
best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light -
good morning, good morning, good morning.
Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.