One of my favorite things is to sit by a mountain stream, especially in the fall, and watch the leaves falling from the trees overhead then being swept downstream by the current. Some leaves travel straight down the middle of the steam, tossed gently by the movement of the water. Many more leaves get caught up in the pools and eddies on the side of the streams, staying there until the current changes then moves them along to the next obstacle. Occasionally the leaves are swept over rocks and sometimes even swamped by a cascade. The courses of these leaves are a metaphor for our own lives and represent how little control we have over whether we stick to the center of the stream or get caught up along the sides. Mostly, I think they reflect how pointless it is to stress and obsess over things that we can’t do anything about and remind us to go with the flow. One of the many reasons I love to spend time in nature.
Tom, for my tastes the last image is it – a downwash of golden leaves that combines water and fall foliage in the best way. I love that!
Thank you, Markus…cheers!
Love your work Tom. Leaves in the wilderness reminds me of Andy Goldsworthy; if you haven’t seen his artwork, you should check it out.
Thank you, James. I’ll be sure to check out Andy Goldsworthy.
I like the metaphor. To expand on it further, amazing how some leaves get wet and just seem to stay in place no matter what’s flowing over them! 🙂 Call them the stubborn ones!
Exactly, Mark! And some get slimy and moldy and rot, and end up making a mess of things. They become politicians!
Absolutely!
🙂
Love the series of images, Tom. I also love your philosophical metaphor on life.
Thanks, Monte. I like to do a little philosophizing once in a while! 😉