I post a lot of photos from local nature parks, usually within an hour and ½ of driving time. But, as we all know, a lot of parks have been closed during the Covid-19 shutdowns. And so I find myself unable to do what I would normally be doing this time of year. The photos you see me post every day are all from previous years. In 2020 I’ve made one trip to a park, in 2019 I made none, in 2018 about 20 trips, and in 2017, after my August prostate surgery to remove an aggressive cancer, I made a half dozen trips. It’s hard for me to believe that, but when I look at my photo library in Lightroom, the evidence is clear.
Twenty years ago, after leaving my successful career due to PTSD complications, I went hiking every day for two to four hours, usually at Paris Mountain State Park. In some sense, the hiking trips were a desperate attempt to ease my anxieties and calm me down. Hiking those long scenic trails is where I got the inspiration to buy my first digital camera, a small point-and-shoot from Canon. Over the years, the number of outings dwindled down. Before 2017, I took my camera out at least three times a week. There are six or seven places I visited regularly, mostly in SC, but a couple in NC. Then, on top of my other health issues, my feet began bothering me. A one-hour hike could force me to use two canes just to get around in the condo, for many days in a row. That caused the cessation of my hiking trips.
So, though I am posting photos from morning trips to nature parks, these mornings, I’m far more likely to see what you see in today’s photograph. It’s an old cast-iron pot, owned by my brother-in-law. During a difficult time for me, they - my brother-in-law and sister - invited me to live with them, literally saving my life (but that’s another story). By the way, the photo is framed by brick, but I don’t live in a brick condo; most of the outside walls are covered by vinyl siding.
The pot had been in my brother-in-law’s family for a long time. When we moved to this condo, I saw it in the garage and suggested it be used as a planter, and pointed to the little out-front corner as a good location for it. He agreed and has planted something in it seasonally ever since. The stuff growing out of it now may be planted or it may just be weeds; I don’t really know. But when I opened the door this morning and saw the morning sun on that pot and those plants, I felt like I should take a photograph of it.
One of the first things I do each morning is go out in front of the condo, next to that old cast-iron pot; I stand under my US flag (above and out of the frame), and breathe in some fresh morning air. Because of all the shutdowns and the risk of shopping in stores, I am purchasing a lot of things online now. I receive something almost daily. And so I’ve gotten in the habit of occasionally opening the door and looking out to see if there’s a package. Sometimes there is, most times all I see is that old black cast iron pot.
So welcome to my American morning, my real American morning.
It ain’t always gonna be like this. Things will get back to normal, businesses and their employees will get back to work, the stores will be safe to visit, and the parks will reopen. And I, with my health issues and old feet, will once again venture out. The hikes will be shorter. That’s for certain. But the pleasure of being in nature will not be soured by the shorter time frame. I look forward to it.
If you don’t want to read about politics, stop here.
As we get back to normalcy, and hopefully sooner than later, I feel like a lot of worthwhile things are going to come to all of us because of our current problems, including an appreciation of what we have, including a better understanding of the value of being prepared, including many lessons in the extraordinary value of individual responsibility, and including a cautionary warning for the ease in which a too-powerful government can direct our private lives. The economy was booming; if you wanted a job you probably had one, the future looked bright … then they turned it off. Why it happened, who to blame, whether all actions were warranted or timely will be the focus. But I hope we will notice the massive power government has over us, and I hope a few more of us will think seriously about ways to limit that power.
I am an American. I love my country. But I fear the soul-crushing power an oversized government can have. Though it may seem reasonable right now, there is little to keep future politicians from exploiting what they gleaned during the Covid-19 shutdowns.
Let us be wary.
And let us be searching for a solution.