Detail-hunting

A few days ago I was heading out for my daily lockdown walk, feeling uninspired by both the weather and the route, when a friend messaged asking if I would take some pictures along the way. She works in a hospital and rarely gets to go outside during daylight hours, so even photos of a gloomy February afternoon seemed appealing to her in that moment.

I said yes, but was quietly doubtful that I’d find anything worth capturing. Everything looked so relentlessly grey.

Then a thought occurred to me. Although the big picture didn’t look very exciting, perhaps there were details within it that were?

And sure enough, as soon as I narrowed my focus, I could see them. Bright tufts of moss. Hawthorn berries. A frothy blanket of Old Man’s Beard. Streaks of yellow lichen on an old brick wall. A tiny white feather in the mud. 

Somehow, finding those little treasures made everything feel just a bit brighter. For both of us, as it turned out.

So if – like me – you sometimes find yourself getting lost in the same old, same old, I can recommend detail-hunting as an antidote. 

If you try it, I’d love to know what you find.