A lazy Sunday morning having coffee and reading Danny Gregory's, Everyday Matters this morning. One chapter stood out to me, he had written about really 'seeing'...
When you look at something you are filing it into a category, "I'm in the park", "Here's Soho", "Light's green." It's easy it's fast it's the way to cope with NY. But when you just let yourself SEE, it's like opening a window on the first day of spring. Things flow in, sharp, differentiated. Instead of whipping past, you study things you didn't really know existed."
I've been studying and teaching mindfulness for some years now, and it is interesting, if you start to slow down... and take your time when looking, what you do see. I'd never seen rainbow surf till a couple of years ago, but now if the light is right, just on dusk, when the sun is low in the sky, you will see rainbows on wave crests. It still amazes me that it's taken me till my late 50's to see that, given that the beach is my happy place, my walking place and general go to place.
I've been wanting to head down to Diamond Head, and today seemed like a good day for a bush walk, so we packed up a picnic and headed off. With Danny Gregory's writing in my mind, I slowed down and attempted to move past looking and into seeing. Split Rock at Crowdy Head National Park pictured above.
The stones in this area are so interesting, and a range of basalt, granite and all sizes and shapes. Ideal for stacking, and it was a delight to see all the stone stacks that people had left behind. We both joined in and created one as well.
Dannys' words stayed with me this morning as I balanced on stones, steadying myself against the wind that was buffeting me, in order to take photos. On the way back I kept looking up at this stone formation, and as I slowed down stopped and looked, my eyes focused in on a giant stone heart. What a delight to see and a reminder to stop and really see.
If you're ever in the vicinity, and like camping, there are spots for your van or tent, with lots of kangaroos and wallabies grazing, it would be a lovely place to spend a night or two. Or take some overseas tourists there, to see the wildlife close up.
We did the shorter of the walks, from Diamond Head Campground to Mermaid Lookout, as the afternoon was closing in and the temperatures dropping. Next visit we will allow more time, and do the longer walk that takes in Natural Arch.
More info on Diamond Head walks: click here
