A life lesson taught by ... dead tree stumps???

 

Dead tree stumps??  Yep, that’s what I said, a life lesson taught by dead tree stumps!  OK, so here’s the story.

It was a cold and dreary weekend, the kind where you’d rather stay nice and cozy in a warm bed.  But, my wife and I wanted to do something outside after being cooped up in a car for three days earlier in the week on our drive back from Texas.

I was hoping for a bike ride, but it was windy as well as cold.  Cold + cloudy + windy ≠ good bicycling conditions.  So, we decided to go for a hike in French Creek State Park instead.  French Creek is a gem of a park.  It’s 7,700 acres and is the largest contiguous forested area between Washington, DC and New York City with 35 miles of fantastic hiking trails.  It’s one of our favorite places to hike.

However, I have to admit that the idea of trudging around in the mud on a dreary day didn’t sound very motivational after spending a week in the warmth of Texas enjoying endless vistas under brilliant blue skies.  But, it was better than vegging out on the couch, so we grabbed our backpacks and off we went.

I generally take my camera when we hike. However, I contemplated not bringing it this time as it’s awkward to take photos with gloves and hiking poles.  Something told me to suck it up and take it.  I’m glad I did...

I snapped a couple of close ups of interesting mushrooms growing on decaying trees. That was kinda fun, but I’ve done that before and have countless similar pictures in my library so I quickly lost interest.  Then I stumbled across, literally, a newly fallen tree and eyed it’s remaining stump poking out of the ground.  I liked the way it looked.  I scrambled off the trail and circled the stump to find a good angle and took a couple of shots thinking they might be interesting.

I rejoined the trail and hustled to catch up with Carol who had continued on while I impersonated a photographer.  We continued hiking and after a few minutes I saw another tree stump. I repeated the process of finding what might be an interesting angle and trying a few shots.

OK, this has become fun!  I went from passively taking pictures of objects we encountered along the trail to actively seeking out the next photo opportunity.  I constantly scanned our surroundings for the next potential candidate.  Many required tramping through the underbrush only to find nothing very inspirational.  But, every once in a while, something would strike me as interesting.  

The background...

A close up...

A focal point...

A shape...

Or a color...

It eventually dawned on me that I had completely forgotten about how dreary of a day it was as the overcast skies provided soft light for the photos, my scrambling through the underbrush had warmed me up, and the monotonous trudge through woods had been transformed into an exciting treasure hunt for the next dead tree stump!

I had found the beauty in dead tree stumps.  Not just the physical beauty, but there is also an emotional beauty if you are open to experience it!  

I thought of countless other opportunities as we hiked.  The French Creek woods are full of potential subjects.  Rocks, fungi, lichens, decaying trees, roots, etc.  In that moment I understood that the mundane objects we take for granted, or potentially see as obstacles, can all be transformed into objects of beauty with the right mental attitude.  

I hope I remember this little life lesson and can apply it in a broader context!