The Background:
I arrived at Mono Lake well before sunrise and spent the pre-dawn hours taking photos of the amazing Tufa formations in and around the lake. Throughout that time, I heard this owl, but it was too dark to tell where the sound was coming from. As the sun came up, I was surprised to see the owl perched on top of one of the Tufa pillars and even more surprised when it didn’t immediately fly away when I pulled out my camera. I think this was the first time I had ever captured an image of an owl, and I was amazed that I was able to capture a shot of it looking directly at me!
The Message:
One of my favorite things about this image is that it not only captures this unique encounter, but it also captures the owl in the context of the location. The unique rock formation – Tufa - that the owl is perched upon is one of the defining features of Mono Lake, so this photo tells a story about both the owl and its unique location.
I think it is critical that we take time each year to think about where we are. What have we been doing, where are we now, and where are we going. Are we the people we had hoped to be, and if not, do we have a plan to transform ourselves? Have we accomplished the things we had set out to do at the beginning of the year? Are we on a path of growth or one of decline? Just taking a moment to ask ourselves these questions is the first step in improving things. Understanding where we are and what got us here (or kept us here) is a vital piece of information. We may never achieve everything we hope for – but knowing where we are and where we want to go will help us get closer…
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