Delight Radar 6 - 66:16

A sunrise (of course), the hand tree, memories of years past, a leaf defying gravity, and a beautiful example of love and commitment. All in 66:16

So I took delight in noticing something for my sixth day of these delight reflections (link to where this week’s practice started). I finished my walk with Scout in 66 minutes and 16 seconds and looking back at my photographs for those 66 minutes, I saw that there were six delights I photographed (and an additional video of Scout that I’ll include for a bit of a bonus). There were other delights through the day but I wanted to share these simply as a reminder for me (and an encouragement for those reading) that even in an hour there can be a lot of delight. This connects with something Krista Tippett shares from Ross Gay’s writing towards the end of this most recent OnBeing episode...

I often think the gap in our speaking about and for justice, or working for justice, is that we forget to advocate for what we love, for what we find beautiful and necessary. We are good at fighting. But imagining and holding in one’s imagination what is wonderful and to be adored and preserved and exalted — that’s harder for us, it seems.¹

So, here in just 66:16 are some of my imagingings and holdings of what is wonderful and what is to be adored and preserved and exalted.

Wouldn’t be me and a morning without a sunrise photo...

No matter how many times I see it, I still take delight in this tree - the hand tree as I call it. A hand open with fingers reaching to the heavens.

This tree - remembering with delight how our children used to all hide together within that opening in the trunk. I also wonder how many other children have done the same?

Just past that tree, I saw this leaf suspended by a single line of spiderweb twisting in the gentle morning breeze. It is magical to see, from a distance, what looks like a leaf that was simply defying gravity but instead is held by the thinnest of threads. But there’s a second photo here that I noticed when I downloaded it. I think that there’s a spider egg sac on the other side and what looks to be the spider too. Something I only saw when I downloaded the photo!

I didn’t photograph the couple because of I didn’t get their permission but whenever I am at this trail really early there is ALWAYS one particular elderly couple there. The woman is in a wheelchair and her partner is pushing her around the paved areas of the park. I’ve seen them there in every kind of weather and there they were again today. I photographed this spot because just maybe 2 minutes before this, he was pushing her up the hill. It is achingly beautiful to witness.

End of our walk, Scout hopped up on this wall unprompted and sat down almost like she was saying, “ok, photo time!”

And here’s the bonus - just before seeing the tree with the hole at the base, Scout saw three deer long before I did. She went into full alert mode and look at that tail go!

Grace, Peace, Love, Hope, Joy, and Delight,
Ed

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1. https://onbeing.org/programs/ross-gay-hope-portal-episode-7/