September has been a busy month. I’ve spent most of my time with my daughter and her family, with a couple of little weekend trips to some of my North Carolina favorites. It has been exhausting and wonderful all wrapped up together. And I knew it would be.
So I intentionally planned a very simple monthly project—to notice and photograph the small things. Sort of a stop and smell the roses project.
At first, I thought this would be an easy project. I already take photos all the time, so how hard could it be to notice one small thing each day?
But there was a difference between seeing something and intentionally looking for something. When I was busy, it was easy to move from one thing to the next without really paying attention. Once I started looking for that one small thing each day, I found myself slowing down.
Sometimes it was something beautiful. Sometimes it was something I would normally overlook. And sometimes it was simply a moment that I wanted to remember.
One of the first photos that came to mind when I sat down to write this was a photo of turkey tail mushrooms growing on a fallen tree.
Amy, the boys, and I had gone out one morning to the trails where they go to ride bikes. The trails run alongside the river and meander through forested areas. During my recent time in the desert, I really noticed how much I missed the smell of a forest trail, so this trail was just what I needed.
I lingered by the fallen tree and watched a little stream flow gently by. I looked at the turkey tail mushrooms and thought about how amazing the process of a decaying tree really is and how the mushrooms—a fungus—help that process. It’s not something I really ever think about. Normally, I would just walk along the path, notice the beautiful patterns on the mushrooms, take a photo, and continue on my way.
But that day, I stopped and really looked.
On my recent trip to Emerald Isle, I stopped before crossing the bridge to the island at a field of zinnias. When I lived in this area, there was usually a field of sunflowers here at the end of summer. I used to always stop to admire the flowers and take photos, so I just had to stop.
I loved the bright colors of the flowers against the Carolina blue sky. I took a close-up of a bud in front of a bright pink flower and suddenly saw the scalloped design along its edges. I couldn’t help but marvel at the intricate details of a simple bud that would soon disappear behind the colorful flower.
If I had simply driven past the field, I never would have seen it.
On my recent trip to Boone, I noticed the leaves that had fallen. I decided to take some photos. The differences in the shades of brown from one leaf to another were really very subtle, but together they created a lovely layered effect. I love autumn leaves, even when they’re brown.
On another morning with my grandsons, my four-year-old grandson found the tiniest little frog and brought it over to show me. He knows I love frogs. I’m not really a fan of toads, but green tree frogs are just the cutest. This little guy looked so tiny in his small hand. We talked about it for a bit, then set it free.
My grandson has the kindest, gentlest spirit and loves any kind of animal, insect, or really any living thing. I love seeing how excited he gets when he finds something interesting.
It made me think about how easily children find things worth stopping for. A tiny frog. A bug crawling across the sidewalk. A rock. A leaf. They don’t need those things to be spectacular. They’re simply interesting because they’re there.
I love how kids are fascinated by so many little things. They haven’t yet learned to hurry past them.
Looking back at the photos from this month, I realize I wasn’t really looking for beautiful things. I was looking for reasons to pause. Sometimes that meant noticing a pattern in a leaf or the colors of a flower. Sometimes it meant watching mushrooms grow on a fallen tree or my sweet grandson holding a tiny frog in his little hand.
None of these moments were particularly important on their own. But together, they reminded me how much I can miss when I’m rushing through my day.
I started the month thinking I was going to photograph the small things. Somewhere along the way, I think the small things reminded me to slow down and pay attention.
