365: One amazing year

Well.  Here it is.  The last day of my year-long commitment to get outside every day and blog about it.  All I can think of to say about it right now is:  It has been one amazing year.

Today's view of the pond.

After having a whole year to consider it, you would think I could come up with something better than “it’s been one amazing year.”  But that sums it up so well I don’t know if I want to expand upon it.

Birds filling the sky.

Instead, I would much rather take you on today’s walk with me.  As you can see, it’s a gray day.  A rainy day.

Birds filling a purple sky. Processed in Photoshop.

It is, in fact, a beautiful day.  Just as all the days of this past year have been beautiful in their way.  All I had to do was pay attention, stay awake, and I would find it.  It was always there.

Growing and waiting to be part of the future woods.

As I made my way through the high meadow (also known as the future woods), I realized I was not going to make it all the way around the pond or back to the woods before the next batch of rain.  At that point I could have turned around and made it back to the house ahead of the rain.  I didn’t even think of it at the time.  I was following my bliss, so to speak, and enjoying the mist, the sounds, the scents, and the colors.

I am grateful to Mother Nature for being such an awesome teacher during my commitment.  A lot of what I learned can’t be put into words.  You have to experience it for yourself.

All you have to do is step outside every day.  Explore your yard or your neighborhood or a local park.

Sheltered from the rain.

You don’t have to blog about it.  Or take a bazillion photos.  Or keep a record of any kind.  Just take a walk.  Explore the same area on a regular basis.  Experience the change of seasons.  Eventually you’ll learn what I have learned, and you won’t need or have words for it either.

The mist changed into a heavy rain by the time I reached the back of the pond.  I stayed with this tree for a while.  The tree sheltered me from most of the rain.  Thank you, tree.

The colors change as the light changes, and also from limb to limb.

Under the tree I watched the reflections of the leaves and limbs as the raindrops hit the surface of the pond.

Follow effective action with quiet reflection.  From the quiet reflection will come even more effective actions.

~ Peter F. Drucker

Some of the golds in my photos today are a result of setting the white balance on the camera to open shade.  It has a lovely warming effect.

Another shelter from the rain.

I felt a little sad at first, feeling the ending part of this journey.  But with endings come beginnings.  I’m just getting started with my outdoor commitment.  The only ending here is that I am no longer promised to blog about it every day.  I can if I want to, and I imagine I will want to.  I will also want to blog about other things, things I’ve put aside in order to blog about my daily walks.

And yet another shelter from the rain.

I stopped at the dogwood tree on the northeastern side of the pond to admire its beautifully colored leaves and to capture what its doing now.  Back on Day 266 I showed you Dogwood Evolution.  If you haven’t seen it, go take a quick look at the photos.  The next photos will almost finish the series.

Since I started the series in the spring, I’ll keep going with it until spring rolls around again.  A year in the life of a dogwood tree.

The above photo is my favorite photo from today.  It was my favorite sighting of the day.  The dogwood tree seemed to be celebrating with color, even on this gray and rainy day.  Especially on this gray and rainy day, because this is the kind of day that allows color to really shine.  The dogwood tree helped me celebrate the end of this leg of the journey and the Autumnal Equinox.  I also realized I have something else to celebrate.  My blog turned 5 years old this month.  Happy Birthday, Blog!

Redbud ♥

I am grateful for all of my visitors, especially the regular visitors who have encouraged and supported me throughout this year-long commitment.  Thank you all so much.  I am most especially grateful to Kathy for inspiring me to take this journey in the first place.  Thank you so much, Kathy.  🙂

Rowboat in shades of purple. Color altered in Photoshop.

So.  That’s it from the Bogs for today.  I’ll be back with new challenges and commitments.  Or maybe just to say hello and blog about something other than getting outside.  Who knows?  You’ll have to stay tuned to find out…

😉

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