Walking through a tranquil forest brings clarity to the mind, surrounded by the soothing sounds of nature.
I thoroughly enjoy walking through a quiet forest, as it truly helps still my mind. Of course, the forest is not entirely silent, as the wind plays through the trees, birds share their songs, etc. This mixture of sounds provides a soothing symphony to the sometime cacophony that might play in my head.
Today, let’s take a walk through a forest…
Forest Path
I captured this moment in Baxter State Park, which is a fair way up in the great state of Maine. During a photography, trip I had the pleasure of sauntering a distance from the rest of the group and found this lovely path. It just pulled my imagination in, as I could only wonder what might lie at its end…
Also, the mosses on either side of the path were extremely inviting. I tested their softness, as I listened to the silence around me.
With a philosophically oriented theme, such as Path, it is not surprising that even some of the literal interpretations provided food for deeper thought! The responses showed both some great photography and interesting interpretations of this week’s theme.
The addition of poems and great quotes made this week’s collection of responses an absolute pleasure for me to look over. I would encourage everyone to follow the links and discover the paths that abound!
In a slightly more ethereal approach to the concept of path, I present you with one of my abstract works, Transitions, which leads us along the eternal path…
Transitions
The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:
Michelle’s post in Southern by Design shows us a wonderful photo of the path and recognizes the beauty in the journey, which is worth remembering.
iballrtw‘s post remembered a visit to Shimla in India with both its path and flowers; another location to add to my wishlist!
Judith’s post in Nature Knows Best provides some amazing paths, but I’m not sure why the sheep used them to get to her cabbage…
James’ post in James McEwan used the image as the inspiration for a fantastic poem titled ‘The Spirits in the Forest’.
Kim’s blog Do You See What I See? is full of interesting visual stimuli, and his post in response to the challenge is among the finest of them!
Xenia’s post in WhippetWisdom.com focuses on the companions on her path; her choice of companions is excellent!
Debbie, in Forgiving Journal, focused on paving our path with Love, which definitely is a great way to enjoy our path to happiness!
I hope that I got everyone’s posts! These were definitely very impressive, both in their beauty and wisdom.
Welcome to episode 22 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge! After a most unusual week of the best of weird, whacky and, generally, out of place scenes that were photographed in fantastic ways, it’s time to try something else a bit different.
After last week’s theme, I figured that we take a bit more of a philosophical bent for this week. I’d like you to photograph whichever path(s) appeal to you. In the theme of path, I’d like you to think about where the path might lead you; is this a place that you want to get to, or is it one that you want to avoid? Is this a path that everyone is going to take, or is it just your path?
The path in this photo is still one of my favorites, as I love the forest, and Baxter State Forest is among the best places to be.
The Path
Notice how this path leads us into the forest, where mossy ground is inviting for us to take a nap, or just rest and look at the clouds pass overhead.
For those who’d like to participate in this weekly challenge, the rules are the following:
You cannot travel the path
until you have become the path itself.
*****
Gautama Buddha
Technical Details
This is a scene in Baxter State Park in northern Maine that I captured back in 2006 during a weekend filled with moose! The weather was pouring rain most of the time and densely overcast on this day. I wound up shooting this at 1/40 sec, f/5.6 at 800 ISO (handheld).
The camera was a Canon EOS 1D MkII with a Sigma 50-500mm lens attached (it’s a beast!).
Yesterday, I was challenged by MarieMathilda to take on the ‘Three Day Quote Challenge’. As this is one of those fun things that you can do all sorts of things with, I am happy and excited to accept the challenge.
The rules of this challenge are simple:
Post three consecutive days.
You can pick one or three quotes per day.
Challenge three different bloggers per day.
Before I post my selection for quote of the day, I would love to nominate:
Have fun with the quote and the challenge, and thanks again to MarieMathilda for the nomination!
The Quote
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
― Gautama Buddha, Sayings of Buddha
The Buddha is a great source for quotes about how me make choices in life, providing great insight rather than a prescriptive recipe. This one is no exception, as it provides for contemplation and introspection, which can fill us with wisdom.
