This One's For Me

Sometimes I have these moments where my initial reaction is to take a picture so that I don't forget [insert moment, sight, person here] and can return to it whenever desired. Sometimes it even goes a step further and I desire to take that photo so that I can share via some sort of social media. Thankfully, there are times where I catch myself. I stop myself and think, "Can a camera really capture the setting sun exactly as it is right at this moment, or would it be better to stop for a few seconds, take it in, and really enjoy it before it has set even further and the majestically glowing pink and orange hues aren't even there for my eye to see, never mind for my iPhone to try and capture after 20 takes?" (Let's be honest here, we all snap way more than one photo to try and capture something.)

One of my favourite sights is coming out of work and walking from the gatehouse to my vehicle in the parking lot. The property that my workplace is on is right beside a large field used by the university for the agriculture program, and right along the river. Across the river, a little to the southwest, is the centre of the city. Saskatoon is by no means a large city, but even our little "sky scrapers" appear to tower over the city when set against a backdrop of the flat prairie earth and endless skies. Around this time of year the sun is already beginning to set as I walk out to my vehicle and I catch myself forgetting to breathe at times because of the beautiful sight. I remember when I first noticed this a year or two ago. I tried to rush to my car to get my phone out (I leave it in there during my work day) to take a photo and I definitely got there in time, but the picture just wasn't good enough. It didn't capture the gorgeous colours and the definition of the buildings against the sky and the snow. I realized then that this exact moment was there for me, and that is all. I did not have to take a picture to remember it, because the beauty itself was enough to make me remember.

It's not just failed attempts at sunsets that I get this feeling about. It's a latte, a smile, a friend, a flower. It's anything and everything that I wish to appreciate. I love sharing, and I am definitely not averse to Instagram or Twitter, but sometimes it's simply more fitting to appreciate the beauty of the world around me rather than trying to allow others to appreciate it through my lens. I like to think of these moments as mine, gifted to me by God, showing me just how beautiful the world truly is.

P.S. I ordered a latte while I was writing this, and it's not the one pictured above ;)