We had a very light rain recently, which made the air clear and added fresh views to a daily walk. A writer/photographer that I know sent me a link to an article he had written about his current creative practice, complete with new botanical photographs he had been taking. Many were closeups, my favorite sort of picture, enjoying the details of the micro view.
His email spurred a look back to my post about moss and lichen from a year ago April, when I took a walk after a rain then. I realized I had not been paying any attention to the mosses and lichens since it has been so dry and they have been, for the most part, dormant. I checked on them on Sunday, while it was still a little damp outside.
A friend sent me a link to some tiny little "matchbox comix" from India after she had made some very small, delightful accordion-folded panels. It occurred to me that those of us able to shelter in place find our attention drawn to the tiny, the things and spaces in our immediate circle of daily life. There are a million internet links and meetings, of course, but the up close and personal is being heightened. What we already know is outlined and in sharper focus.
At the same time, the larger world is undergoing an enormous change. With our votes, we have a chance to think big and restructure our society. Many people are resistant to change, particularly when they don't see a need for it. Someone I know is very generous and helpful to those known, but for whatever reason, has no empathy for strangers. The thinking is only on the micro level, an inner circle. We need both views. If only that generosity extended outward and applied to the entire world.
The little mosses have their own concerns. And it is a respite to join them, if only momentarily. Although they are small, they reflect a bigger picture.
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