A Moment is All it Takes

119 • 4/27/2026

My sons, Matthew and Ryan, were sitting next to me as we sat down after dinner with liquid refreshments and settled into this wondrous view, pictured.

Ryan had called me a few months ago and asked if I would like to meet him and his brother at Zion National Park, in Utah on a date that would have been last weekend (April 18-22). I promptly replied that I would.

They both live in Washington State, and I usually visit them twice a year, at their respective homes, which I really enjoy doing. We hike, walk ( a lot!) and drive to pleasurable destinations. The trips are not about me or what I want to do, it’s more about family, friendship and shared experiences.

I lived in the northwest for more than 30 years, before I moved to the southwest. In light of that, there isn’t much I haven’t seen in that state, from islands to rolling landscapes to mountainous grandeur.

As a photographer I brought along my camera and a couple of accessories. Of course, I was able to make a few images.

At one point, however, as I grabbed my camera, Ryan said that there are times when I can leave the camera on the table and just take in the scenery without the rush to click the shutter.

As it was, we only had one full day to ourselves and we spent that day driving around Zion, hiking, eating, and enjoying the environment, as well as our company.

We do know that according to many studies and a lot of research that getting out and about is not only good for our health, but it also does wonders for our souls. Whether it is a mountain or a valley with water running through the middle of it, we owe it to ourselves to do just that: push yourself away from your regular duties and get out there. Go to places where there is quiet. Hear the wind weave through the branches of trees. Watch the sun as it sets. You know what to do.

I have a spot in my very small gravel-coated front yard where I sit on a chair and appreciate that I am almost surrounded by healthy trees. It might only be a moment or two but that small effort quiets the noise in my head and offers a much-needed escape. I do, however, get out of town several times a week.

Based on how much fun my sons and I had, we have agreed to meet up again next year, somewhere between here and there.

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“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity” John Muir, Our National Parks

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Steve Whyte | The Art of Noticing: Finding Movement in Stillness: “I sit on a fallen tree trunk, the kind that has lived its life standing tall and now rests just as gracefully, offering me a place to pause. The air is thick with stillness, but if you listen closely, there’s movement in everything. The wind plays in the trees, the leaves whisper secrets, and somehow i manage not to have that annoying wind blowing sound in my microphone. I am here to talk about the art of noticing, about slowing down, about creating space to reset, to breathe, to exist without the weight of expectation.” ©Steve Whyte (ed. I watched this video twice. Once last week and once this morning and with each viewing became more relaxed.)

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Elizabeth Gilbert | Big Magic Summary “Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Big Magic” is a book that explores the concept of creativity and how it can change our lives. The book is divided into several chapters, each of which delves into different aspects of creativity. In this book summary, we will provide a brief overview of each chapter and then conclude with a summary of the book’s main ideas.” ©5 Minute Book Summary (ed. This is a book I have kept close at hand and have read it completely once, only to return to it time and time again.)

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Jeffrey Danneels | Why Scotland: “History, rugged coastline, inclement weather, and the exceptional beauty of northern England and Scotland keep drawing me back. The castles almost seem organic as if they’ve grown right from the rock. Bow Fiddle Rock (above) in a driving rainstorm provides long-term exposure opportunities that are magical. Many pristine parts of the coast have immense rocky cliffs with sea stacks too numerous to count.” ©Jeffrey Danneels, image and text (note: all artists featured in this section have been previously (or will be) published in Shadow & Light Magazine)

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Poetics | Billy Collins: He always surprises me by offering poems that need to be shared.

In The Evening

The heads of roses begin to droop.
The bee who has been hauling his gold
all day finds a hexagon in which to rest.

In the sky, traces of clouds,
The last few darting birds,
watercolor on the horizon.

The white cat sits facing a wall.
The horse in the field is asleep on its feet.

I light a candle on the wood table.
I take another sip of wine.
I pick an onion and a knife.

And the past and the future?
Nothing but only a child with two different masks.

©Billy Collins

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