“The real voyage of discovery comes not in seeking new landscapes

but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust

New Horizons spacecraft brought us new landscapes from Pluto three billion miles from Earth…our farthest reach into the great forever. But as Proust said, “having new eyes” is the real voyage of discovery. I discover every day.

I let my new eyes bring me more discovery right here as I circle our star on our Earthen home. I use my new eyes on the closest sights, sounds, people.

Sure I always loved the crunch of new snow underfoot, and the crash of surf onto my feet. When younger, I may have taken a lot it for granted. But of late new eyes have enriched my voyage. The crunch of snow is crisper and the surf’s crash carries an eternal eloquence.

There is so much soul upon the sand. So many fellow voyagers strolling this eternal world with me. Sea strollers, amidst a spectacular array of wings and waves and clouds and blue sky.

It’s so easy to be very present for me at this shore of life. Sometimes it’s like a huge canvass and I’m meeting other parts of this living mural as I trek the sand and surf. I feel a need to connect with some of them. And so I do.

Let me try to paint for you a recent day I experienced with new eyes. Let me show you the the pigments I gathered that were strolling and flying  and fishing and creating so that you may see what I saw, feel what I felt.

I didn’t feel like I was doing any gathering as I walked but I did feel like I was reaching out, touching, as I often dare to do. Some of us hesitate to reach out in fear of rejection. We’d rather, “mind our own business.” where it’s safe. But it’s worth the effort and risk, I find. I just don’t take any rejection personal.

Yes, people are entitled to their privacy, to choose be alone and unbothered. But some may appreciate a gentle approach. It may brighten their day, brighten mine,  brighten yours. One just needs to be sensitive to indications of feelings.

I came upon a fisherman, Vinnie, whom I see often and have photographed before. I’ve sent him photos of a few of his many thousands of casts he’s made near the jetty. Casting for fish, just as so many millions of fisherman have cast the seas before him.

This day I commented on his unique hat, it’s very distinctive. He likes it but said, smiling, that  there might be a Mennonite quality to it. I liked it too. He told me he bought it upstate and wears it all the time, even taking it to Mexico. I took some photos of him once again and moved on.

Then I met a group of three ladies. I spotted them earlier as they passed me in my sand chair and we exchanged a few comments.

But now I saw them seated on their own chairs and learned that one of them is a nearby neighbor whom I had never met.

She was entertaining two guests who arrived from Russia the day before, they sat on either side of her. I offered to take photos that they could send home, they liked the idea. And so I did.

Soon after I came upon a lady taking photos of the jetty surf with her iPhone.

We chatted and I learned her name was Janine. She said she takes the shots to later turn them into paintings. As we spoke I detected real joy in what she does, an important part of any endeavor.

She has a love of art that goes way back to her earliest years but as often happens in life, that love didn’t really blossom until later. Now it is in full bloom and she has a wonderful story to track it.

See her site, read her story:http://jmferrantiart.wix.com/jmferrantiart

Janine contacted me later through this blog. She said she had taken a photo of the fisherman, Vinnie, with me far off in the background chatting with the Russian ladies. And yes, she made a really cool painting of the photo. I find the composition, color and heart of it just gorgeous. It captured the moment. It captured my sand canvass spectacularly. It brought new eyes…to this little spot…on this tiny planet.

Be well,

Leebythesea