I have this problem of looking down when I walk. Sometimes that's a good thing. It has saved me from tripping over uneven sidewalks, stubbing my toe, and stepping on gum. It does have it's disadvantages. I miss a lot of what's above me, but staying on my feet at my age does seem to be important! Anyway, as I walked around a historic neighborhood, where the sidewalks were cracked and very uneven, I was doing my usual looking down trying to keep myself upright when I spotted this shadow of a tree. I was drawn to the jumbled mess of branches going every which way. I stopped, took a picture and moved on. When I was looking for a photo that connected with me for this month's Photo-Heart Connection with Kat Eye Studio, I kept coming back to this one.
When I look at the shadow I see chaos. The lines all start from one place, but then branch out in a helter-skelter pattern; no rhythm or rhyme. This reminds me of how I feel.
Out of rhythm
Out of order
Out of control
Each morning I begin the day thinking of what I'll get accomplished in the coming hours. Each night I lie down and look back over the day and realize I've accomplished very little. I start out the day with a plan, then I branch out in another direction to do "this." Before I finish "this" I've darted over to do "that." With "this" and "that" not finished, I find myself going in still another direction. My mind is scattered and chaotic which has led to feelings of being totally overwhelmed. My One Little Word this year is "focus." Totally unfocused is more like how I feel. I don't like chaos, I need productive days.
How do I get refocused and begin to finish things? I'm not sure. Maybe I'll make a short list with things I know I can finish tomorrow. Better yet, maybe I'll just go on a photo walk, find a pretty place, capture a little beauty, and relax. I can always work on bringing order to my chaos another day. Right?
“The shorter way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time.”
~ Mozart
"Branching out" isn't such a bad thing, it gives us lots of different views on things, seen from all perspectives... so it can also be very enriching! I like the lines in the pavement with little green plants growing in the cracks and the shadows of the branches stretching out to reach new horizons!
ReplyDeleteTaking a walk seems like a great idea, Cathy! Let chaos (or order) wait for another day.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wondrous illustration of your inner emotional state. Perhaps your going from "this" to "that" is simply the way you work - it is the way you stay interested and excited - doing a little bit of whatever catches your eye and spirit. Maybe instead of interpreting it as chaos, you embrace the scatterings and allow yourself the freedom to follow where your heart wants to take you.
ReplyDeleteOr I could be completely wrong :)
And I think the photo walk idea is just grand - just the thing to quiet the chaos.
I frequently feel scattered and chaotic too, Cathy. It can be very frustrating. Your image really does communicate that feeling so well. I find yoga helps me get grounded == a morning walk could do that too.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is the time of year. I know this is always busy season, doing everything I have been dreaming about all these long winter months. Having Mallory home from college always brings a different dynamic to everything as well. Definitely go out on a photo walk, it will be more calming than you think.
ReplyDeleteLove this image and your connection. I've been feeling exactly the same way lately so I can't really offer any advice - except that my vote would go with the photo-walk too. :)
ReplyDeleteI tend to feel this way too in the spring, and also in the fall, which is another season of new beginnings in my mind. Making a list is a good idea, but be sure you give yourself credit for those parts of things you accomplish. They do count! And I'll make it unanimous...do take the photo walk and enjoy the spring. The other stuff will still be there when you get back.
ReplyDeleteGreat connection between the photo and your heart, Cathy. I love how the branches and cracks together create more chaos in this image. It's like the branches are the internal chaos of our own minds and the cracks are the external, the things that come in from outside and add their own chaos. I like your solution: going on a photowalk. On the focus part, I have a way I handle a to do list, and it works for my corporate job as well as my creative work and home life. I ask myself, what has to be done TODAY. If it's a big project, and I've broken it down into tasks, what has to be done today in order to achieve my goal? Usually it's just a little bit; one small step. And for other things with deadlines, what has to be done today is often clear. And then I let the rest of the list go and focus on those few things. So when I look back on my day I have a couple of clear accomplishments instead of many unfinished projects. The rest can wait for tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteLove the image and your photo-heart connection. I´ve been feeling exactly the same way lately... I try to focus on few goals every day, but sometimes I have to approach so many things before starting to achieve them and finally, the goals remain unfinished... I don´t know if I am too busy, too tired or both...
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Cathy. I think a photo walk is a great idea, alone or with a friend. Sometimes just being alone and enjoying the outdoors, which I know you do, can be very healing.
ReplyDeleteThis too will pass!
Cathy, what a great meditation joining your neighborhood walk with your mode of getting through your day. I was thinking of fractals, too ... I had to chuckle, though, when you began talking about looking down. I do that, too!
ReplyDeleteCathy I love your photo and what it mean to you. I can imagine how you feel. Since I had to focus on normal daily things to because a cva I start every day with half an hour or an hour to do something that realy must be done and for the rest of the day go with the flow. For me it worked very well. Wish you all the best... but most important, have fun with the things you do...
ReplyDeleteCathy, you have summed up so eloquently my own scatteredness. I think that there are just so many options out there, tempting us all the time. Don't give up...practicing focus - like any 'skill' - requires effort, patience, persistence, self-discipline....work! Don't feel badly that it doesn't come naturally to you...but don't give up. (this is my self-talk LOL)
ReplyDeletexoxo
quite the pic = surely captures your current feeling very well. best of luck and when you know the answer to staying on course please share withus... I need that type of help in the worse way. thank you .
ReplyDeleteGreat photo-heart connection. I think many of us share that feeling of not getting things done. I also, like you, tend to look down a lot! But lately I've been taking pictures of treetops when I'm out on my photowalks - maybe it will change my perspective a bit!
ReplyDelete