14 Mar The Joy of Discovery
It was a beautiful day for a family hike to a waterfall. Walking ahead of our family on the trail were two people carrying fancy-looking cameras. The woman discussed the birds that might appear along the way, detailing their names and colors and markings. Mid-explanation, she spotted a flying blur of brown and yellow in a nearby tree, and quickly raised her camera, capturing the moment with excited snaps.
Her companion pointed out the rock layers in the canyon and explained how minerals influenced the colors. He paused at one point to inspect a rock on the trail more closely, highlighting its uniqueness to his companion before photographing it and returning it to its original spot.
As we followed the bird and rock enthusiasts, I thought about how those passionate about birds, like the woman, likely see amazing birds everywhere, while those passionate about rocks, like the man, likely stumble upon all kinds of fascinating specimens right under their feet.
Our family trailed behind at a steady pace, not knowing very much at all about birds or rocks, but delighting in observing the wonders around us.
I found a brown colored rock that was shaped like a heart and I picked it up and showed it to Ella, who saw the shape, too.
A few minutes later, Ella noticed that the sunlight was moving through the branches of a nearby tree in a way that made it look like the leaves were covered in glitter. Ella didn’t know the type of tree it was, so she called it the Fairy Dancing Tree.
As we neared the waterfall, Emma spotted a green bug crawling on a rock and squatted down to examine it more closely. As the bug flew away, Emma saw that it had translucent wings and yellow eyes. She didn’t know what this particular species of bug was called, so she named the bug Max.
Standing with my family as we faced the thunderous waterfall, I thought about the art of seeing. While expertise in Latin names, bird markings, and mineral composition can enhance our appreciation of what we see, joy is also found in the mysteries of things we don’t fully understand, like brown heart-shaped rocks, Fairy Dancing Trees, and bugs named Max.