My Year of Looking Up
Lafayette, CA
If we knew that tonight we were going to go blind, we would take a longing, last real look at every blade of grass, every cloud formation, every speck of dust, every rainbow, raindrop — everything.
— Pema Chödrön
When I first read this quote it was nearing the end of 2019, as I was thinking back over the previous months and toward what I’d like to do intentionally in the coming year. I spend a lot of time walking the hills and like many before me, find peace in the quiet majesty of the trees and the world around me. My tendency has been to look down, with most of my attention on the wildflowers and smaller plants at eye level. After reading this passage from one of my favorite writers, I decided to spend the year looking up instead and exploring the sky and the tree tops in daily photos.
A year and over 365 pictures later I had a new appreciation for clouds and trees. I had learned a little about photography and the challenges of capturing light. There were times when I would see a beautiful cloud formation while driving, and would pull over and capture it before the winds blew the clouds away. There was the day the San Francisco sky turned orange from wildfire smoke. And always there was birdsong.
My year of looking up is documented on Instagram @cloudtreebird. As a special side benefit, in the course of the year on Instagram I made some new friends, discovered some wonderful Japanese art and a rich source of nature photography. Closer to home I became familiar with native plants and trees, learned the names and calls of birds in my yard, and found a new sense of creativity.
What struck me most though, was the sense of wonder I felt at the extraordinary vastness of the world above me. It’s so easy to take the sky and clouds for granted, maybe noticing when it’s extra windy, or if there’s a cold rain. But this past year was an opportunity to stop and contemplate the enormity and ever-changing beauty of the world above with a deep feeling of awe.
