What Do You See?

The only thing that I like more than writing stories and reading books is traveling.

People have been asking me about the photos on my website.  Most of these photos are from our family   travels. Some of them are the work of my photographer daughter.  The header above on this blog includes the Rodin statue “The Thinker” on the left from Rodin Museum gardens in Paris and on the far right are the gargoyles from the top of Notre Dame in Paris.  The center picture is of the walkway along the old city wall in Rothenberg, Germany. (Aren’t those gargoyles fabulous??  If you get to Paris, take the climb to the top of Notre Dame. The view of the city is awesome and the gargoyles most definitely can’t be appreciated from the ground.)

Traveling (anywhere) is an awesome way to fuel your imagination for new story ideas. Most of the beginning sparks of my stories started on some travel adventure, but it’s good to be reminded that everyday things and everyday places can be just as full of wonderment.

I think that’s often the job of a writer to see the wonderment in everyday things – to stop and pause the moment in front of us by painting a picture in words that makes us see how truly incredible the world can be.

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” ― W.B. Yeats

What do you find wonderful in your world today?  Use the comment field to write a paragraph or a send a photo (or both) showing what amazes you. 

I’ll go first . . . here’s a photo of a small grove of olive trees. Not a remarkable photo by any stretch.  

Does the picture become more intriguing when I tell you that these are some of the oldest trees in the world, dating back to the year 1092 AD and that they are all grown from the same original tree that existed more than 2000 years ago? And what happens to your perception of this photo when I tell you this is the Garden at Gethsemane in Jerusalem where Jesus left his disciples to stand watch while he prayed?

Context is everything.