The Art of Seeing

I recently visited a blog I haven't checked in months and found this cool post where she (a photographer) goes on a field trip of sorts. She posts pictures of herself and her "peeps" (her words) traipsing around a cemetery and then out to dinner. I loved the picture of them all at dinner, cameras aimed towards their plates!

Several thoughts ran through my mind as I viewed this post:

1. It's all about seeing, isn't it? More and more, I'm convinced, in that respect, that living is an art unto itself. How we live our lives, how rich and full they are, how we interact with others, how we dream and strive to achieve our dreams - much of it boils down to our ability to see.
   
2. So what are you looking at? What are you passionate about seeing?
   
3. I think of some people as "eye-openers" - opening the hearts and minds of others to God and his world. Parents, teachers, pastors and mentors I think fall into this category. And then there are the problem-solving types - those who see a problem and delight in seeing a way through it. And then there are "see-ers" - those who simply open up the world as they see it to others. Any other kind of seeing come to mind?
   
4. Seeing is best done in community! Sometimes community may be others who see in the same way you do; other times, it's community who simply appreciates your vision, and shares theirs in return. Really, without community at some point - what's the point?
5. And lastly, seeing involves stopping, doesn't it? Maybe it's stopping to refresh yourself so you are fit to see again for others. Or stopping because you can't otherwise focus on the picture. Or stopping afterward to think about what it is you just saw and really take it all in.
   

I hope you'll check out my friend Sharon's art, her way of "seeing." Take a few minutes, scroll around and enjoy a view of the world through her eyes! I hope it inspires you as it did me.