The other day my friend Kathy wrote a blog about gazing that struck a chord with me so deeply that I’ve had to revisit her post at least three times. Her words hung with me Sunday when Tony and I visited a new-to-us place on the Leelanau Peninsula, and so we took a little more time examining the woods than we normally might when freezing rain threatens. (It held off until we went into the grocery store, soaking our bags on the way back to the car.)
Particularly as winter wears on, we wish to hurry it, to press more quickly for spring. And that’s understandable – who doesn’t want to be surrounded again by birdsong, blooming flowers, and morels? Since there’s no hurrying it, though, I choose to spend my blue-grey days looking for the details – the splendid little things that just don’t stand out amidst the more vibrant backgrounds that prevail rest of the year.
These are the things we gazed upon as we lingered in the winter woods. I hope you can appreciate their beauty, and maybe even the surprise in the details. And seriously, if you haven’t clicked through to Kathy’s blog, you should. Because she was much more eloquent in waxing philosophic, while I’m mostly just sharing pictures of putting that philosophy to work.
Tall, straight trunk explodes in a riot of tangled branches in the canopy
Broken tree mimics bridge
Forest floor home
Cornucopia of lichen – blue, chartreuse, green, red
Wispy curling bark
Rough to smooth
Mimicking a rainbow eucalyptus
Enjoying the overlook
Melting
Overlook
Nestled
Adventures in Michigan's Up North 
My favorite is your “rough to smooth” tree picture. Of course, they are all cold and fabulous!
Thanks Ms. Katie 🙂
The overlook was spectacular, but I think I might pick the array of lichen or the surprisingly rainbow-colored bark. Or maybe I’ll choose them all since they’re the ones I decided to share from the outing 😉
Such close observation! Love all the photos, and the captions 🙂 Wonder who lived/lives in the forest floor home…..
Winter seems like a good time for observation 🙂
I peered in all the windows (doors?) of that little home, and only saw scratches in the dirt, so I’m still wondering about that, too. But I was so pleased with myself for even spotting the tree-home, because the level of snow nearly blocked it from sight.
Kudos!
So often the beauty is in the details – we just need to take the time to see the details as you did so beautifully.
Absolutely. I think we sometimes get too caught up in other things that we miss the lovely things right in front of us. I suppose this is my version of practicing presence.
Hi Heather! Winter is my favorite season, perhaps coz we don’t really have a proper one in my neck of the woods! Your wondrous pictures capture it’s essence beautifully and took me straight back to the few years I spent in Kobe as a child and learned to love it 🙂 Thank you for that and I’m so glad we got acquainted through Munira…these are times when I love the virtual world that much more!
I think winter might be easier to love when you don’t have to deal with it 😉 I am lucky because my husband and I both work from home, so driving snow shoveling happen on our terms. And I agree – sometimes the internet really does make the world smaller in the best of ways 🙂 Glad to meet you!
My favorite is the rainbow….
Isn’t it amazing where color shows up? Who would have thought a white birch (I *think* it’s a white birch) would harbor a rainbow?
Definitely a white birch.
I used to have such confidence in these matters. And then I moved up here where I am surrounded by white birch, paper birch, and aspens (which it took me a while to learn were affectionately called popples). Now I usually *think* I have it right, but am never quite sure.
Awww, Heather, this is so beautiful. How wonderful that you chose to linger and look at the details instead of letting the mind convince us of an eternal springtime which exists outside this moment. I am really glad you liked the gazing blog. I liked it, too. 🙂 And now must remember to gaze and linger many times this day. Thank you, truly, for your willingness to linger and absorb and share.
There are many things that make life grand, but I truly think it’s the small things that make this life precious. Sometimes I remember this easily and absorb all the little wondrous things, but sometimes I need a nudge. Thanks for the nudges – I’d hate to miss a tree for only seeing the forest 🙂