Skip to main content

Chilly morning

Photo by: Tim Bindner

I started today off early. I woke up at 6 am, ate breakfast and headed to the trail by 7:30am. I needed this hike today.

The parking lot was empty. My temperature gauge read 19 degrees as the sun was lighting up the sky. I parked, grabbed my stuff, and headed down the path towards the lake. My mind, as usual, was racing, and I looked to slow it down. I had my new camera around my neck and my eyes began scanning my surroundings for pictures to take. There is always something to shoot, but going to a familiar place often causes me to be complacent and for go pictures I have already taken. This is, however, my therapy, so I trudged on.

I reached the end of the pavement and move east towards the wooden bridge and eventually the path. As I skirted the lake, I was startled by a squirrel who was also startled by me. He was on the side of a large tree and then ran across my path, turned, ran back towards the tree, then disappeared up it. As I walked by, I told him, “You scared me dude”, and I proceeded on.

I decided today I would go a different route than I normally do. This location has a few paths, but I could still mix it up a bit. As I ventured deeper into the woods, I could hear gunshots in the distance. It was deer hunting season, but I was safely on private land, where no hunting was allowed.

As I proceeded deeper into the woods, the sun began peeking through the trees and lighting up the surrounding hills and treetops. I could also feel the warmth of the sun when it hit my face. I soon shed my hat, then my gloves, and finally unzipped my coat. The phone said it was 22 degrees, but my body was overheating.

I took a few pictures along the route, and the noise in my head quieted down. The woods served their purpose for me today. I was happy to be alone in the woods today.

I spotted two deer staring at me briefly before dashing off into the woods; I saw a few squirrels, and even some birds, but no people. The shadows danced off the trees and the cool air filled my lungs. It was a cleansing of sorts for me. I knew soon I would be back to my life and all the constant worries I have floating in my head, but for 90 minutes I was able to significantly quiet the noise.

Until next time.

Tim (Kilmer)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mentor

  When my photography journey rekindled back in 2015 with a trip to Maine, I never knew how far I would come and how important pushing a button on a camera would be. I have come a long way, but still have so much more to learn. A mentor is described as an experienced and trusted adviser (noun) . Also, as someone who will advise or train (someone, especially a younger  colleague ) (verb). Wikipedia also states mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person.  Since I have gotten more serious about my photography, I have been looking for a mentor that fits these categories listed above. Seeking guidance, I reached out to a handful of “professional” photographers to inquire about mentorship. I received no response from one person, another person casually mentioned that they rarely mentor, and a third person kindly explained that they ...

Nobody's Listening

  I recently had conversations with two people I know that had experienced a sudden rash of acute anxiety. One was medication related, the other was situational. Both stated that they now had a better understanding of what I have been dealing with. With the recent changes to my medication, Although I still feel anxiety, it no longer takes control of my emotions like it did in the past. However, I know acutely that it still lurks on the fringes, patiently awaiting its chance to pounce on me. During my recent visit to Dr. Erin, she assigned me an exercise where I had to jot down three things each day that I felt I excelled at. This is proving to be difficult for me. The parameters are straightforward and easy to understand. “Anything I do well that day,” she said. As I continued with this exercise, I began thinking of a song by Linkin Par called Nobody’s Listening. I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress Handful of anger held in my chest And everything left’s a wast...

Tested

  Life is a series of tests, pushing us to our limits and forcing us to grow. All blessings originate from a God, yet they manifest through different circumstances, encounters, and individuals. Throughout the past six weeks, I have encountered a myriad of these tests. This is part of the reason I have not written in a while - the constant distractions that have consumed my time and focus. Balancing my mental state and warding off anxiety has consumed my attention, leaving no room to articulate my thoughts through writing. My journey began recently when, with the advice of a medical professional, I began taking Trintellix at its lowest dose of 5mg per day. Gradually I increased to 10mg a day and now am at 20mg a day. During this time, my anxiety has lessened quite a bit, but recent events have put this medication to the test. Our initial challenge was to carefully research vans, searching for ones that would be ideal for safely transporting our furry companions. The cramped spac...