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In this week's edition |
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Blogger: Darren Smith CSMO of Kgwanyape Energy Solutions "Stealing Time" |
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Stealing time Sometimes , the extraordinary
simplicity of life is lost on us, as the busyness of business steals our time. Renowned
for its reputation as the crime capital of the world (says who?), I’d like to
encourage a different mind-set. That of
stealing time. Any-one
who lives in Jozi today will be familiar with the daily chaos on her roads, as
freeways and highways are dug up, Gautrain’s
route is ploughed through busy intersections, and connecting side roads become congested
with the overflow from traffic at a standstill. Couple that with a tough
business environment, seasonal labour action and civil strife, volatile
financial markets and moribund sentiment, and it is not surprising that time
seems a luxurious indulgence to most all of us these days. But it is
at times like this that stealing time is most likely to reveal the unexpected. So,
instead of being bludgeoned by the
drudgery of the daily commute, steal some time today, seek the unexpected (for
it is always there), and revel in the nuances that are often so easily missed. Here’s a
short story that illustrates the point. Enjoying
a weekend break with friends on sunny afternoon in mid-winter, I had my fill of
rugby talk and beery banter, so snuck out for a quick breather. I picked up my
camera, and walked out into the garden, looking for something that might just
lend itself to a snap or two. My eye
caught a lemon tree, vibrant and rich with fruit. Perfect. The day
was crisp and cool, a perfect highveld winter’s day, and the late afternoon sun
shone through dappled clouds. I walked around the lemon tree, trying to compose
a simple shot up close, using the sky as a backdrop. Which I did, as the
following image shows. Nothing special. But a start.  As I moved
on, I chanced upon a butterfly, perched on a leaf, unperturbed by my presence. Unusual,
butterflies are normally so fragile, and so jittery. As I
composed the picture, I couldn’t help but notice as a fly walked across the top
of the lemon. I could almost imagine the conversation: “Fancy meeting you
here”, said the butterfly to the fruit fly. And I
snapped the picture.  A few
seconds later, the butterfly flew off. Except it wasn't one butterfly, it was
two. Astonishing really, this twittering, fluttering spectacle. The
mating pair flew down to the grass at the foot of the tree, where I snapped
another picture, fascinated by this simple story playing itself out.  I picked
up the butterflies, and called my daughter across, asking her to take the
picture (below) of the 2 butterflies in my hand. And we chatted about this
unusual sight ... so unexpected. What is
it about modern life, that we fail to revel in the simplicity of the natural
world anymore. Is it because we don’t grow up with butterflies flitting amongst
the plants, and dragonflies skimming across the pond? Do we take our cues from
BBC Wildlife, or National Geographic, television sating our natural curiosity,
so that anything we encounter in the real world is a little less exciting than
last week’s documentary?  I walked
back to the lemon tree, placing the butterflies back on a leaf, and letting
them get on with whatever it was they were doing. I took a few more pics, the
colours and the textures softening in the fading light.  Stealing
time. And
finding the unexpected. |
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| Share This Page | Date Posted: 26 Aug 2009 | ||||
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