Through The Lens

As I was walking the hills of Carmel, California I was glancing left and right to take in the sites. There are several stores and art galleries on each side of the road that I frequently enjoyed exploring. As I walked past this long walkway, I stopped dead in my tracks. Something was tugging at my curiosity to wander down the hallway and see what was there. Off I went and what a beautiful surprise awaited me just past the doorway. At initial glance the mystique and simple beauty of the walkway captured my attention. My first footstep into the hallway told me I had to stroll slowly down this path so as not to miss one bit of its beauty.

Slowly making my way down the stone path I felt my heartbeat slow down. A sudden calm came over my entire body as well as my mind. There was a sense of peace that was overcoming. My eyes gazed upon everything along the walk way. There were sparkling, white lights, beautiful flowers and plants, even the patterns embedded in the sidewalk kept my brain engaged in it's beauty. I stopped every few feet to really look at the patterns and decor throughout the walkway. Such simple beauty is partly created by nature, partly created by humans. The combination was stunning.

As I walked through the door at the end of the walkway there was a beautiful sitting area. In the sitting area was a wooden chair, a small flower garden, plenty of greenery and a peaceful granite carved water fountain that instantly calmed my soul. I felt inner peace immediately. The sound of the water flowing down from the fountain, coupled with the quiet in the space evoked an instant calmness that most anyone would feel. I walked over and stared at the water fountain, then sat down on the bench. I took in the smells of the greenery and flowers, the sounds of water flowing and silent space. Even with my tinnitus, which I was diagnosed with last year, I could still hear and feel the silence. It brought me such peace that I wished I could sit there all day. For a few minutes, all of my stress, all of my negative thoughts, all of my ailments melted away. My soul was calm.

I've always loved to take pictures. Even as a child, I would take my hands and form a pretend camera to take pictures of the clouds, the trees or something that just seemed interesting to me. That passion has never left me. Now, as an adult I still love to find simple and sometimes complex beauty to photograph. When I visit art galleries I go in with an open mind realizing that art is open to interpretation. The picture of this pathway through the door that I took in Carmel captured my attention right away. I saw beyond just a doorway with a sidewalk and recognized the detail in this carved out piece of art. I had to capture this image with a photograph. I needed to have a reminder that there are so many simple blessings and simply beautiful things in the world. We often make a habit of just walking by places in a hurry to get to our destination. We forget to stop and examine our surroundings. What a shame to pass up so many opportunities to find beauty and peace in a simple, daily routine such as walking.

This photograph now hangs framed on a wall in my living room. Whenever I feel some stress coming on I glance up at the doorway photo and remember the feeling I got when I first journeyed down the pathway. I remember the inner peace I felt once I walked through the doorway to the fountain. I am grateful for the experience I had when I found this off the pathway little gem. You see, this is more than just a photograph I saw through a lens; it was a spiritual, inner peace experience that I was blessed to encounter. The very next time you walk out of your house to take a walk, walk a little slower, look around a little more, find the beauty in life's simple tangibles. Take photographs or at least look at it long enough that the image embeds itself into your mind. Perhaps you'll be lucky enough to find one of life's hidden treasures that brings you inner peace, such as my doorway did. Take your walks like you're looking through a lens.

Written by: Sue McGaughey