“Real generosity toward the future lies in giving well to the present.” -Albert Camus
Waterfall Bay, Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula. Pentax MX, Kodak Pro Image 100, Feb 2025.
I have been rather busy of late. Busy with work, busy with all the demands that I place on myself, that my fellow humans place on me, busy, busy, busy. My days are scheduled, my weeks are planned and my months all tick away on the calendar, one event after the next. Boredom and spare time have disappeared over the last couple of years. Where did they go? I used to be able to muse, to have a lazy afternoon. These days, my routine consists of things I feel I must do as opposed to what I would like to do. Perhaps this is the life that most ‘grown-ups’ live, and I should be grateful that I have all my needs met. But to dream and to aspire, that is being human, and to imagine a better life than the one I see myself and my fellow humans living; surely this is important?
Waterfall Bay, Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula, Pentax MX, Kodak Pro Image 100, Feb 2025.
So much of my everyday life consists of set routines. Doing a very similar thing over and over again. It’s almost like clockwork. It is predictable, safe and offers clear rewards. I earn money so I can buy food, clothing, petrol, and equipment that let me do the things I like to do. But there is a price to pay for this. “A man does not need to be in chains to be a slave”. I am a slave to this way of life. I am bound to my habits. I am stuck on a treadmill, repeating activities that constantly contribute to the great extinction of life on this planet. I use transport based on fossil fuels to undertake my trips. I use plastic products every day. I am contributing to catastrophic climate change that is threatening all life on Earth.
But I also ride my bike, whenever I can and use old things where I can. I try not to use more than I need and I am respectful to the places I visit. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I can see a world on a precipice, but I can also see a world that is wonderful and I am so grateful that I get to witness it all every day. Even if I am stuck in a loop, repeating the things I do every day, I can be inspired by all the little moments.
I am inspired by the way the way the ocean beats against the sea cliffs; the way light falls on the meadow and the morning dew glistens in the sun, the colours of the fagus as it turns and falls at the end of autumn. But I am also inspired by the human made things in my life. I am a little bit shocked my car starts (almost) every time I turn the key. When people are kind to me. These are the moments when I think ‘Well the world might still be okay’. All these little moments, they add up and make me feel blessed I am simply present.
And so, even if I have been busy of late, I have retained a sense of mental serenity. I guess I do not chose my life’s circumstances. Sometimes I have to work seven days a week. Sometimes I don’t get as much sleep as I would like. Sometimes I don’t eat the food that I want to eat, or have a chance to look after myself as I would like to.
Cape Hauy, Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula, Pentax MX, Kodak Pro Image 100, Feb 2025.
I choose to be present. To me, this means less and less thinking and more and more observing. I try to avoid getting stuck in thought loops as much as I can. Sometimes I do this thing in my mind, which I’ve learnt to do through years of meditation practice. It is hard to explain how I do it, but it is a sort of expansions of my awareness, upwards and outwards, to encompass everything outside of my own existence. It turns my sometimes dull every day into an inspiring dream. Instead of being ground down, I am lifted up; it reminds me that even if my experience is mundane, it is no less wonderful.
And perhaps sometime soon I will find a way to be less busy. To make more time for the things I like. Oh how I would love to read more. To write more. To go wondering through the bush so I can take more photos. To focus on my art, to bring more beauty into the world. To be able to go on more adventures, to explore the wild places that are dark, quiet and mysterious. . Oh, one day I am sure these things will come.
For now, I dream.
-A.S. 19/4/2025, Brushy Creek
The Monument, Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula, Pentax MX, Kodak Pro Image 100, Feb 2025.