It’s All About the Little Things…
I have been extremely fortunate to live most of my life very close to a beautiful nature reserve. I get down there sometimes several times a week, with either my dog or my camera. But that’s not the “little” thing I’m talking about, in fact, that’s a pretty big thing that many are not so lucky to have.
What I’m talking about something that has been happening within the park for, at least to my recollection, about 4 years now. Tiny little acts of rock vandalism. Someone (actually, I suspect a few “Someones” ) has been hiding little painted artworks around the park’s pathways… The first one caught me, well i guess for lack of a better term, emotionally off guard. Life, as it is prone to do, had been piling up and it was taking its taking me down a path sliding toward cynicism in a way I didn’t like. And, as hokey as it sounds, I found it moving. A simple little idea, with a sizeable impact.
Most importantly though, was it was a simple act of kindness done in complete anonymity. So, if whomever painted it reads this, sincerely, thank you. It made the difference I suspect you had hoped for.
It wasn’t too many weeks before I saw another, and then a little while later that another, and to this point now have seen quite a few. Now, I alway keep my eye’s open in search of new ones. I always leave them, but I do try to get a quick snap-shot of them when I can.
I have missed a couple nice one of a lady-bug once by (I suspect the same artist as did the Monarch Butterfly ones shown in this post below. A small kid had picked it up before I could get a photo and the optics of a “grown” man fighting a 5 year old girl to wrestle away the tiny treasure seemed well, ill-advised. But, I still maintain I could have beat in a fair fight… if the situation had escalated.
There was also a similar missed photo of a mouse, that I believe was likely by the same artist who left the rabbit above a few weeks later.
I get a weird child-like spark of excitement every time I find a new one, and as I hopefully do find more, I’ll make sure to add them here. Thanks to you all for brightening up a few random strangers’ days.