A little love and encouragement on the trail.

My favourite rock on the Rainbow Bridge trail.
What makes us like something?  Why, for instance, is one person's colour of choice red while another's is purple?  Of the dozens of rocks I found on the trail I frequent, what was it about this one that appealed to me?  As with most things in life, I find there are many factors which precede a choice or an opinion. 

First off, I happen to like red.  While green is the colour I associate with life in general (plants), red is the colour I associate with animals (blood - the elixir of life).  I also like red because it is the colour of control and command - as a classroom teacher I often wore red because it embodies that notion.  Besides, I just so happen to think I look good in red.

The message carefully inscribed on the rock's surface is an obvious factor; love is what makes the world go 'round.  I have heard many stories of late of separated families and loved ones finding a way to convey their sentiments to each other over distances and through barriers.  Jurassic Park's theme statement, "Life found a way" could be rephrased "Love found a way."  At its core, love is what drives us.

Then there is the shape of the rock.  At first glance it seems somewhat amorphous in nature; nothing comes out.  Just like watching clouds and finding meaning in their wispy forms, it took me a bit before recognizing what it was I liked about this stone.  It reminds me of a bird's wing.  Picture a bird flying towards you, looking at the left side and see the wing shape.  Imagine now a reverse copy of that thought on the right and place a bird's head in between.  Can yo see it?

If you have read any of my blogs you would instantly appreciate the connection I have with this as I really like our fine feathered friends.  That association, combined with its awesome colour and the inscription it bears instantly captures me.

One last note; have a look at the inset, bottom left.  This is a clip of the print I made on the rocks I photographed yesterday on my wanderings.  Available as an 8x10, I hope to get people interested in ordering a copy with proceeds going to something related to fighting Covid-19; the very thing which inspired people to create these mini works of art.  How wonderful that they should go on to both encourage others and help fight that which spawned their creation.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com   Eric Svendsen

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