Heroes Not Zombies

I love this photo, yet it’s probably one of the simplest ones I’ve ever taken.

You can look at this and, at first, think, “grey sky over grey sea”……so, what?

But look more carefully and you notice a fairly significant band of bright water created by the sun shining brightly on it, and the first thing I think, is, how interesting…..why such a narrow band of light? It’s pretty linear and it doesn’t seem to be related to a particular wave. The sky above looks so overcast I can’t see why only a slit of sunlight has appeared here.

Next, I look to the horizon. I’ve got a few photos like this where I capture just an expanse of sea and sky with an almost imperceptible edge where they meet each other, but in this particular photo, because the predominant colours are grey, the transition from sea to sky is even more subtle….except, wait, hang on, there is another bright, white band of sunlit water running across the entire view just immediately before the horizon!

What’s that about?

How come there are TWO bright, linear bands of sunlight, miles apart, with, apparently no other ones in-between?

That fascinates me and draws me into a longer, slower contemplation of this scene.

I looked at this image again this morning as I sat down to post this and I thought “less is more”.

There are very few distinct features in this scene but that minimalism somehow creates time and space.

It stops me.

I don’t rush on by, hurrying on to the next image, the next text, the next event, or whatever.

I thought, well, that’s a bit like this time in the world where the pandemic has brought the everyday hustle and bustle to a screeching halt. Millions of us have been at home for several weeks now.

Has that ever happened before? Not as far as I know.

One common theme which is emerging in the stories these days is of time slowing down, of routines, habits and tasks, melting away, and of small everyday experiences taking on a new significance and new quality. How many people are saying they hear more birdsong? I’ve never heard so much birdsong, and I’ve never heard such diversity of birdsong either. How many people are noticing blossom, flowers, sunrises and sunsets, the Moon?

This pared back life won’t last like this forever, but one of the most positive aspects of this time, for me, is an enhancement of what I value so much – “l’émerveillement du quotidien” – the wonder of the everyday.