The way things were

I was choosing a photo for this morning’s blog when I came across the one that accompanies this piece of writing, a sunset with pretty colours. This is a winter sunset. As one knows, the sun rises and sets at different places throughout the year. When I first moved to this house, I had unencumbered views to the west and thus got some beautiful shots of the setting sun during summer. Now a tree, two houses along, has grown so tall that I no longer see the horizon and thus am not able to capture the sunsets at their best in the peak of summer, as that tree lies directly in the path. Most of my winter shots have powerlines in the way, though how I managed to get this one without, I am not sure. I think I aimed the camera higher than I normally would.

I see some beautiful skies, especially during the summer months. I can still get nice pics when the whole sky is ablaze, but I miss the setting orange glow to accompany these. I guess I could get in my car and drive elsewhere, but the magic of stepping onto the deck for the photos is gone.

In the other direction, my 160-degree view of the harbour, has become a 45-degree view, thanks to an inconsiderate neighbour who built right in the way, then sold a few months later. I had asked him to please reconsider where he built his shed at the time, to no avail.

It is not like these things have been taken from me, without me having appreciated them first. I did and for both, was part of the reason I bought this house. I loved the views and the beauty both brought. It saddens me that this has happened, especially the dwelling, but there is nothing I can do about it now.

The tree could get trimmed at some future time but as it is on a driveway and not impacting anyone other than me, I don’t think this will happen. It will only get bigger, encroaching my view more.

But this is life. Things we love and treasure are often taken from us. We can’t go back to how things were before. We just have to accept the changes and hope that sometimes they go in our favour and not against us. I am pleased I did appreciate the beauty that I had from both of these directions before I lost it. It would have been worse if I had only realised how good it was once it was taken away.

In my mind, nature tops the most beautiful things in life and I do appreciate the joy these brought me at the time. At least I can still see the sunsets too and for that I must be grateful.