The Pond

I couldn’t get myself to pen this entry without actually visiting the pond. So here I am, with the most tranquil and peaceful landscape before my eyes trying to explain why I consistently find myself back here to reflect and contemplate. I am a firm believer that the environment you surround yourself with affects you internally. As some would argue, there is a high level of Qi in natural scenery, but this pond is exceptional. I have yet to stumble upon a spot that brings together some of Virginia’s most colorful botany side by side as this Pond does. It brings together the diverse and colorful Virginian botany. I truly envy the inhabitants of this paradise; i.e. the same four ducks that encounter every visit.

I have found strolling around this pond for the past three sunsets. I sit and watch people come and go past the pond, but no one actually bothers to sit by the pond to meditate. They really are missing out on a lot. Especially during the sunsets…there tends to be some much serene energy in the atmosphere.

I am certain that the past three days have been the most ideal of the whole year. They are autumn’s goodbye gift to Virginia. The sky has been crystal clear blue, except for some ornamental clouds, and the trees have unveiled their true beauty, each with its own degree of red, orange, or yellow. I have to admit that I’m lucky to have returned to blogging to record these memories of my last autumn in Virginia.

Virginia is one of those few places which actually gives an equal share to each of the four seasons, but autumn is by far my favorite. You see Mother Nature in its purest form as it sheds its beauty from one layer to another. It's also the mildest season, neither to chilly nor humid… its ideal. The sun radiates its heat giving one that cozy warmth in an approaching winter. The birds seem to appreciate this time of the year the most, chirping and singing away. The pond is the one place that epitomizes Virginian nature and its sheer glory.

But really, what is it about this pond that keeps me coming back?

I have some emotional attachment to this place. I remember when I first received my camera in the mail, the first thing I did was tear it out of its box, charge the battery, adjust its photography settings, hop on my bike, and visit the pond. The pond and its ducks were one of those few safe havens that accepted me during times of absolute solitude. Here, I lost track of time and forgot the outside world. All my negative thoughts and feelings would dissipate in the air like the morning mist.... I would feel connected to nature on the most primitive level. My camera allowed me to take snapshots of these memories, which I would often go back to as a means of revisiting my pond memories.

At these times of solitariness, I would imagine myself to be Holden, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye who would visit the Central Park Pond in New York City. Holden’s mission was introspective…Holden would revisit the pond to quench his curiosity about life. Holden wonders where the ducks emigrate to during the wintertime. His curiosity of this phenomenal mystery reveals something much more profound about life. The ducks disappear every winter, but return every spring. In my eyes, the ducks symbolize many aspects in life… Happiness, success, courage, integrity, faith, love, and conviction all come and go just like the ducks do… So when life challenges you by taking away what you hold dear to your heart, know that when the time is right, it will return it to you just like nature returns the ducks back to the pond when the time is right.

Twilight

Twilight is the time between sunset and dusk. It is when there is a clear divergence between the illuminations of the upper atmosphere and lower atmosphere. I had been fortunate enough to experience twilight on the pond. After deciding to get back to blogging, I decided that the pond was what deserved my attention first and foremost. So I packed my camera right after a rainy day to visit the pond right when the sun was about to set. Below are some photos I shot at twilight:

My road bike and the pond

The sky at twilight

The pond and me

The pond's reflection of the landscape around it

There is no doubt that the pond has been one of the highlights of my experiences here in Virginia hitherto. Unfortunately, I will have to bid farewell to the pond as winter approaches, but like the ducks, I shall return during the spring.