The Gift of Time
Recently, I was given a little extra time. It was a Monday, and I was supposed to be on a flight returning to work. I had the good fortune to be the victim of bad weather in the Midwest and a delayed flight due to crew rest requirements. This all meant that my flight had been canceled. I suddenly found myself “stranded” at home for another day. Glorious!
With my newfound time in hand, I grabbed my camera bag and headed off to a little spot near my house where I was sure to find something to photograph. It was a cold November day, and I was in the mood to photograph some ice. One of the nice things about living near one of the Great Lakes in the winter is that there is no shortage of ice. Soon I was on the rocky North Shore of Lake Superior, where I was sure to find beautiful ice patterns in the shallow pools among the rocks. Carefully skipping (or more accurately slipping) around the rocks, I kept my eyes open for swirling patterns in the ice, or the dripping icicles that form as the waves lap at the shoreline. My options were many.
As I was looking for patterns and trying not to slip on the ice and fall into the cold lake, I spotted a small plant sprouting up among the rocks. The rocky surface this plant had chosen to try and grow seemed insurmountable enough, but then it had been pummeled by the frozen waters of Lake Superior. This little guy was encased in nearly an inch of ice. It seemed as if this plant was literally frozen in time—an incredible reminder of the gift of time that I have been granted.
Here is a video account of this day.
