Friday, June 12, 2015

Finding protection among the trees

Barely there
London, ON
March 2015
I have a nasty habit of taking weird pictures whenever I'm in a studio or otherwise doing what a journalist does. I find these pictures ground me a bit, and remind me of the meta stories, the things that happen when we're busy working through the minutiae of our day-to-day lives. They strangely bring me comfort, because they take me back to the moments that I try to hold onto when life threatens to spin out of control.

I took this at 7:52 in the evening in the CTV London parking lot. I had come to this place on this cold, breezy night to do a live interview with the good folks at CTV News Channel. And when I was done, I hung around the newsroom for a few minutes to chat with the producers and catch up on the news of the week. In many ways, this place has become something of a home away from home, and I find myself moving a little more slowly, deliberately even, every time I come here. It's the best way to soak it in and appreciate what makes it special.

The skies were good and dark by the time I headed back outside, and I somehow got it into my head that I should take a picture of the tree canopy over the big deck. It would be the "before" shot, and I'd subsequently grab spring, summer and autumn photos from the same vantage point.

So with your indulgence, we'll start with winter as the first shot in our extended series. Even without the leaves, the sheer size of the tree stand makes it seem like nature's protecting us from whatever blows in from the west. May we always find places like this that feel like safe harbor. May we always have the wherewithal to stop and remember what safe harbor feels like in the first place.

Your turn: What does safe harbor feel like - or look like - to you?

2 comments:

Common Household Mom said...

I grew up in a big ol' house in Baltimore. Sometimes we had severe thunderstorms at night, with thunder that would rattle the windows and rain that would pelt the house. I would wake up from the noise of the storm, but felt safe inside the house, which, despite the onslaught of the storm, had always protected me. That was my feeling of safe harbor as a child.

That is a very cool photo of the Trees Of Protection.

21 Wits said...

It's funny how our sight can lure us to a place we never expected going to. For me it's possibly all about the sight first, who knows for sure. But the end reward is how a place by sight, sound or scent can bring us to feel emotionally inside. I own this moment in time, how cool is that right? That is when I know for sure that I've found my safe harbor. Thanks for bringing my thoughts to this. Good capture to end your exciting day too.