Pondering Paths

God has strewn our paths with wonders, and we certainly should not go through life with our eyes shut.

– Alexander Graham Bell

About a week ago I shared an image of a path that led through fresh, spring woods and fog. The words I paired with this image were, “OH, TO KNOW, IF ONLY … what each day will bring in our walk through life. What would we do differently?” The image and these thoughts got me thinking about a lot of things. Paths, in particular, dominated the pondering. It seems that I am far from being alone in considering the subject – whether in the objective, literal sense or the more figurative and metaphorical sense. In this writing I will share images of and from paths that I have traveled on, discovered and followed. I’ll also share some thoughts that arise as a result of my revisiting them from a visual and thoughtful (emotional) perspective.

I believe that we, as individuals and visual artists, are drawn to different paths for a variety of reasons. Considering why we are drawn to them at different times can help us learn more about our choices in life, where they lead, and often provide lessons and insight we might not have had. In hindsight, it requires being mindful, becoming more aware of what we are drawn to at different times, and why.

Fog-filled path with mysteries and treasures ahead

ABOUT PATHS

As I considered the idea of paths, I first wanted to hone in on what one is. Turns out there are more than a few ways to look at the concept of paths. A path can be physical – defined loosely as a way or track laid down for walking or made by continual treading. It can lead the way, have a course or direction. In the abstract or metaphorical view, a path can represent a journey – our journeys – through life, the course of which it takes being the result of every one of our choices made along the way, every second, minute, hour and every day. The path behind shows where we have been. The path ahead is open and subject to interpretation as to how it twists and turns, depending on our decisions along the way.

The path can be easy, clearly laid out and worn as a result of routine travels. It can be rough and risky, providing obstacles along the way. Charting your own path can and does include both elements of ease and struggle. In all my years, I have never known a straight path, unless it was a roadway. Even then, there would be a bend or stop sign to prompt a turn in another direction.

West Virginia Trail leading to …

Oh, to walk the trails as a child …

CROSSROADS AND CURVES

As we navigate the journey, we are often presented with crossroads, which require us to choose a direction. The curves in the paths (or roads) provide a sense of mystery and intrigue. What’s around that bend? We don’t always know. I love what Walt Disney once said, “Curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” I agree. I also can see how being cautious, too cautious, could either keep us safe from harm or block us from experiencing an even more exciting adventure. It’s a balancing act that depends on the choices we make. I’d like to think that my path has been and will be a blend of comfort and curiosity with a sprinkle of wisdom mixed in. Some paths others have carved out, and I have followed. Others, I push out on my own and see what happens.

Curiosity provides the impetus for us to keep going on the adventure or misadventure. Either way, we discover anew what has been waiting ahead for us to take in and appreciate. On the Blue Ridge Parkway one of my favorite walks is the Flat Rock Overlook Trail. I call it a “journey” trail because there is always something new to notice and appreciate along the way. At the top of the trail that leads you through forest, rocks and tree roots is a magnificent view of the valley and mountains beyond. There are many spots to sit and take it all in. On the way down the trail, with a short veer off the trail to the left is what I refer to as the Hobbit rocks. Another magical place to slow down and only discovered because of a noticing and curiosity. After I make this detour, the trail winds through the woods over more rocks, roots and dirt path and leads me back to the beginning. No matter how many times I walk this path, there is always something new, always something waiting to be “found” along the well-worn path when walking with a noticing mind.

A portal on top of Flat Rock Trail

Curves on the trail in the “pixie forest” on the Blue Ridge

PATHS AND POETRY

In what feels like another life to me, I wrote poetry. For a long time, I was sad that I had stopped, wondering why as well. Then, I realized that much of my poetic expression made its way into my photography. The words I no longer put on paper, along with the emotions, found their way woven into my imagery. Not all of my images speak poetically, but the ones that do resonate differently, for me and for others. Thank God for nature and all its beauty and for how it provides space for rest, peace, awe and wonder. It’s in the natural world that I find the most joy. Quietly, it holds me together when the life path is hard. In nature the journey becomes easier. For me, miracles of healing are often held within the folds of the petals of flowers – relief and release.

Moments of serenity on my “Almost Heaven” trail

For the poetry lover in me, two poems speak on life, nature and the physical and figurative paths (or roads). Each deserves time and attention, and I encourage you to explore for your own impressions and interpretations: Roads Go Ever On by J. R. R. Tolkien and The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. Both are written in ways that reflect and consider nature, life’s journey and the choices along the way that create the lives we live. They hold a balance of reflection, perspective and forward motion. Frost reflects that though both roads he writes of hold something new, he doubted he would know what the road not taken would hold. He writes, “Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.” The roads and paths we choose lead us forward, not back. This poem and that of Tolkien are metaphors for choices we make in life and how those choices shape our lives. Tolkien, however, is not just writing about one road, one choice, but many on a life’s journey. His poem uses the road(s) as metaphor or life and explores both adventure and many paths and the comfort of home. This is seen for me in these words, “Look at last on meadows green, and trees and hills they long have known.” Home is comfort and familiar. The road and path metaphor is used often by poets and writers to reflect life’s journey. These poems are no different. The journey holds excitement as well as challenges.

The trail between the trees

Motion on the forest trail

ROADS AND PATHS

An interesting tidbit when we consider life as a journey and decipher the differences between roads and paths. Roads, whether paved, gravel or dirt, are made for us to travel on in specific routes. Paths, on the other hand, are created when we, and others, choose to veer off the main road and make our own way through. What we find on the “back roads” and paths of our own making, that of others or many of us, is very different. What we find is much less “prescribed” or orderly. The paths allow freedom and flexibility in our journey. There is much more risk involved when we pave our own way. As I look back on my own back roads and path adventures, I’m thankful for all the things I would not have otherwise seen or discovered if I had not chosen to veer. I like the safe roads for what they are – safe, but the detours are what often provide the unexpected surprises that make life interesting and sometimes challenging.

Mood and motion on a boardwalk trail

Trail of wonder in the Finger Lakes

CLOSE TO HOME

When we travel, it’s easy to get excited about charting new paths toward seeing what we have never seen (or will ever see again). It’s exciting and new. Travel gives us different views and perspectives. That said, wandering paths and places close to home and much more familiar can provide us with a new sense of appreciation for what we may often think “will always be there.” Experience has shown me that “always” and “forever” are not necessarily true concepts in reality. Floods, fires, time, along with growth and development, change the places and things we think will be around forever.

I encourage you to think of a few places closer to home that hold even a little place in your heart. Visit them now, and again in every season. Put on your noticers, and photograph them for both the beauty and the ordinary. Make the familiar new to you. With more time in those places, you will likely find more than you ever thought was possible.

Found while forging trail in woods

Magic of infrared at “Hobbit Central” with a veer off my favorite trail

FINAL THOUGHTS

As for that image of a fog-filled trail with a bend or curve at the end, and roots and logs presenting a few obstacles, I realize it’s really not knowing what’s ahead that keeps life interesting. The mystery of what’s around the bend or at the crossroads is part of the journey, obstacles and all, is what keeps me going, exploring, learning, failing and choosing to persevere. If I always knew what was up ahead, there are times that I would be likely to stop – freeze – and do nothing. In this life we have, there is no such thing as stopping or turning back time. The path up ahead holds what it holds – hope and promise, and challenges. The choices we make along the way provide the light on our path. Let’s keep walking. There’s more path to explore up ahead.

The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.

—Thich Nhat Hanh