A Wren Says

I woke up one morning in Chicago, seeing the sunrise peek between buildings. It was gorgeous. “I’ve got to take a photo of this.” I jumped out of bed and went to work trying to capture the essence of what I was seeing. The low light and my lack photography skills made it a difficult task. The view of the buildings below looked way to dark. The sunrise’s beautiful purples and pinks were nowhere near as vibrant as I could see them. The picture wasn’t doing it justice, so I kept adjusting the camera.

I went along playing with the white balance and all the settings in the manual mode, but nothing was working. None of it was good enough. And then I realized that I had spent so much time trying to capture the sunrise, trying to find ways to share what I was seeing with other people, that I hadn’t spent enough time enjoying it myself. So I took one last photo, set my phone down, and paused to enjoy the view.

I don’t think that kind of experience is an isolated incident for me.

How much time have I wasted wondering how something will look to another person, who often isn’t even there, only to not have taken the time to consider what it is that I’m seeing? How much time have I wasted catering to another’s view, instead of enjoying my own? I am ready to enjoy my own experience, despite what anyone else might see.

Here’s to enjoying, truly enjoying, more sunrises and all of life’s little joys.