Patterns in the Ice and a Lesson from Ducks About Safe Spaces
I have been a bit quiet the last few weeks here and that’s mostly because most of my photography and writing energy has been going to the last few parts of the book which is still slated to be out by the end of the year. (Fingers crossed). I also wanted to just do a quick reminder that calendars are still available (Link) and if you want to have them before Christmas, probably ordering in the next week is ideal because of production times.
Ok - onto the ice...
We’ve hit a bit of a cold snap here recently and Winton Lake has developed a thin ice covering as a result. It won’t last long as temps are supposed to get back to the 40s and 50s the next few days but for now, there’s the unique beauty that arises when ice starts to form but also something in the work of a few ducks to keep some space for them. First, the patterns.
Check out these unique patterns that were along where the path meets the water. I know there is science behind all of this but I am fascinated by how the beautifully unique and artistic patterns emerge when the ice first starts to form. Not only are there the places where the ice stands in contrast to the still-open water but also the places where it looks like fossilized leaves and branches. I converted these to black and white to emphasize the detail a bit more.
But then the places where there are the tiniest glints of the color reflected from the rising sun that morning. One where it looks like an “A” is reflected and then the tip of what looks to be a bit of a pyramid that formed. These are full-color BTW.
Just lovely.
But there were also some ducks at work on the lake as well. There was this one spot that I saw from the path around one of the benches where it looked like the ducks had kept paddling around in circles to keep an open space in the water.
As I watched several of them keep swimming around, I thought of how they were creating a bit of a safe space for themselves in the water. Did they just keep taking turns of who made the laps around to keep that small section from icing over? It sure seemed that they were working together to keep it open and if they didn’t keep swimming around like that, they would lose that open water spot.
The spaces that we create in our lives also require intentionality. They don’t just happen. If we want to create spaces where people feel welcomed, affirmed, and feel they belong, it requires us to take active steps to make that a reality. It requires changes and actions on our parts not on the parts of those we hope to welcome. For example, if I as a white person want to create a space that is safe for people of differing racial backgrounds, it is on me to do what I can to understand what would make such a place. It would be understanding what I am doing that is not only consciously but also unconsciously communicating that it is not a safe place as well as understanding the steps I can take to make it so. That takes me digging into books and resources of others to learn on my own and not simply expecting someone else to show me. The same goes with gender, sexuality, and so much more. Safe spaces do not just happen. They require work and, like these ducks on the pond, they require shared work.
In our worship service tomorrow, one of the passages I’ll be centering on is the story of Jesus sending out 72 of his followers to the towns where he was planning on going. But he didn’t send them alone. He sent them in pairs because the work was to be shared. It was to be shared among the pairs as well as the 36 groupings. All in it together to create the spaces of peace that Jesus invited them to work towards.
I am so grateful that I know I am not in this work on my own but am in it with others with whom I am in close relationship as well as the wisdom of others who share their insights and experiences as well.
As Dory said in Finding Nemo, “just keep swimming, just keep swimming...”
Grace, Peace, Love, and Joy,
Ed
PS - Don’t forget calendars! (sorry…I’ve been told I can be a bit of a nag…) - Doggo Devotions, The Wide View, and 12 Months of The Bench
"The spaces that we create in our lives also require intentionality. They don’t just happen. If we want to create spaces where people feel welcomed, affirmed, and feel they belong, it requires us to take active steps to make that a reality. It requires changes and actions on our parts not on the parts of those we hope to "
Bravo Edward
I recently got back from a few weeks in Egypt. There are so many different nationalities involved in their family trees and current life’s that it is awesome to realize that they are color blind. I asked our guide(an Egyptian Muslim) if I was correct about that and she definitely agreed.