Every time I get a new lens for my camera, my photography depends and grows. Photographer Mark Goldstein sent me this photo this morning; Nicky and a half dozen other blog readers sent me more bird pictures.
Lenses change my life, as do animals. I am in touch with flower lovers, cat lovers, donkey lovers, dog lovers, cat lovers (Zip lovers, for sure), sheep lovers, and chicken lovers, as well as people seeking a spiritual direction. I’m making some extraordinary friends.
Although we all have different ways of doing things, most of these messages are helpful, supportive, and helpful. Advice is offered as a thought, not a command, not condescending or disrespectful. For me, these communities have been eye-openers and good ones. The trolls seem to get all of the attention (guilty), but the good people are rarely heard of, and there are many of them.
I am hearing from them every day. I also hear from angry and disconnected people. That’s life in America.
My spiritual direction is helping me to be less angry and combative, but I still have a powerful instinct to fight back when I am assaulted. It’s easy to talk about compassion but more complex to practice it.
I have no trouble being disagreed with; it happens every day. Flower people help me identify flowers; bird people help me identify flowers; donkey people share their donkey stories; and dog and cat people…well, they love to share photos and stories about their birds and animals.
We all come from the same heart; being friendly and gentle with one another feels so much better.
We support and encourage one another. The downside is that the animal world attracts fanatics and angry and broken people. Nothing extraordinary is free.
But for all the noise about online cruelty, there is much more online humanity. I believe in fighting this rampant cruelty; many think I should be silent about it. But that’s not me, and I am learning to love and embrace myself. The good people need space and support.
I love Mark’s photo, taken with an Olympus OM-1. Mark gave me good advice on how to focus while shooting through glass. It’s pretty remarkable. I don’t know what kind of photos I want to take or in what style. These other ideas and images help me sort that out. I like softer and less literal photos, but Mark’s photo is unique.
That’s a great shot.
Thanks, Mark, stay in touch.
Love it. Thanks.
Jon, I can’t wait to see your bird photos! They’ll be more challenging than flowers, but well worth the effort.
I have a book I started decades ago. I collect quotations. You’re even in there: Better to love a dog than to mourn a dog.
Here is a quote I entered about birds. I don’t know who said it. You’re so well read, it might ring a bell with you.
PRECIOUS SINGERS IN THE NIGHT
I smile at the faith of birds. Faith that the sound they make from deep within their small bodies will carry out into and through the night air and reach the ears of another like themselves. I find myself somewhat in awe of that faith— the faith it takes to sing in the darkness, through the middle of the night to dawn, across an unmeasured distance, alone, unknowing if, or when, you will be heard.
Thanks nice quote don’t know it
Thanks for sharing Mark’s photo – it’s a fun capture. And, as a long-time bird watcher/photographer, I’m loving the quote shared by Susan. I’m a day late in reading, but it made my morning.