The Quality of Light

I walk at roughly the same time each morning. In the deep of winter I would be up and out - and sometimes home - before the sun rose. Those days are over for the moment. Now when I reach the Arb somewhere between 6:00 and 6:15, the sun is well and truly risen. Yet it is still low in the sky so the light filters through the trees on this side of Peters Hill.

It’s a curious combination of light and dark, sunshine and shadow. I know that’s always the case on a sunny day, but at this hour, it seems more stark. Or perhaps it’s simply that I’m seeing it more clearly. Maybe, but it’s not easy to remain attentive, so easy to get distracted.

All the more reason that I treasure the interplay of light and dark, leaves and branches, and the invitation to pay attention to what’s in front of me, to watch as the landscape changes with the calendar.