A hundred different suns

”Come! Let’s move on!” my friend calls as I am sitting on a small stone wall on the top of a mountain peak in Greece, making a time lapse of one of the nearly inaccessible 15th century monasteries of Meteora.

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“Hold on. I am photographing” I reply without moving my eyes from the majestic scenery in front of me.

“You’ve been photographing that same scene for ten minutes now. It’s not like it’s gonna change. Come on, let’s go!” she calls as she heads towards the stairs with the rest of our company following her.

For a brief second I am confused. What does she mean? It’s constantly changing!

And that’s the exact moment when it hits me. A new kind of grief overwhelms me with the realization; She doesn’t see it.

Suddenly I feel intensely alone. I had egocentrically assumed that we had been sharing the same experience throughout our trip when in fact the magic that had moved me to points of tears had passed my friend by unnoticed.

In hurry towards the next scene she was oblivious of the way in which the continuous transformation of ever changing clouds creates subtle differences in the intensity of the sunlight, allowing the sun to paint an endless amount of contrasts between shadow and light all over the sandstone. Or how the leaves are performing an everlasting dance with the wind as it caresses the famous “columns of the sky.” She was unaware of the absolute uniqueness and fleeting essence of each moment, as well as the impossibility of its’ return.

Recently I began something that I hope never ends. I decided to see as many sunrises and sunsets as I possibly can during my journey and capture some of those fleeting moments before they disappear forever.  I brought my camera and began to take walks every day around the time of sunset.

I go out and find a nice spot, sit down and watch the skies. Every now and then I take a photograph or make a video of the scenery in front of me, but mostly I  just exist. I let my mind wander as I observe the beauty that surrounds me. I use all my senses to absorb as much of it as possible, and most of all I appreciate. Everything.

The photos I take are located in a desktop folder called “A hundred different suns” and have become a way for me to take some time each day be still, to pause everything that I am doing and step outside, to connect with nature and to connect with myself. It’s one hundred glimpses of the world as seen through my eyes. It’s a tribute to the never ending flow of magic that exist within and around us all. And it’s an act of gratitude for being privileged to experience that magic.

I welcome you to join me for a moment of gratitude each day by stepping outside at the time of sunrise or sunset, and just be. If you wish to take a photograph and share your moment with us use #100differentsuns. But remember, the moment is about being. So after a couple of shots, leave the camera and just be.

To follow the journey and “A hundred different suns” visit www.pointsoftears.wordpress.com or follow @pointsoftears at Instagram.