Here and now

“I have lived large parts of my life in wonderful circumstances that I utterly failed to appreciate. Reasons to be happy were everywhere, but somehow I didn’t connect with them. It was as though I was eating but couldn’t taste the food. Finally, I’ve learned to celebrate the good while it’s happening.” ~Marianne Williamson

The weather in northern Michigan was chilly and unpredictable while Doug and I were there last week. And just as we’ve learned to expect when we’re visiting off season in Glen Arbor, many of our favorite shops and restaurants were closed. Still, there’s something both restful and beautiful in the loneliness of our state’s northern landscape when it’s not crowded with tourists. I’m not the sort of person who enjoys big cities — so the peace, quiet, and expansive natural beauty were exactly what I needed.

On our second night we had dinner in a restaurant overlooking Lake Michigan. It had been gloomy and cloudy all afternoon, so we weren’t expecting the gorgeous sunset that surprised us that evening. There were only a few other diners in the restaurant with us, but every single one dashed outside to photograph the spontaneous blaze of color in the sky. It was truly a marvel — and possibly the most incredible sunset I’ve seen in the many years I’ve photographed the same spot.

I’ve been battling a lot of stress lately. Until I spent some time away from home last week, I didn’t realize that I’d been worrying more than necessary. I’d been focusing more on what could “go wrong” rather than all the things in my life that are going well.

The sunset reminded me that I sometimes “utterly fail to appreciate” my circumstances — including having access to simple pleasures and a few nice surprises. Sometimes I get so focused on the stuff that scares or frustrates me that I overlook all the things that are right and beautiful. ~CL