Decaying Time.
“During my time with this forest, I slowly understood that for the mushrooms, plants, mammals, birds, amphibians, and insects the only moment existing was the one simultaneously occurring and equally unobservable.”
The decadent dishes of fine dining are like the deteriorating decay to a forest floor. Returning to these photos, I'm transported back to meandering alongside the Birch, Poplar, Willow, Alder, and Jackpine during autumn's brisk evenings. There is a distinct smell in the air that many correlate to Fall, which more specifically is the smell of decomposition. The falling sunset-coloured leaves are the signifier of a new season and a dawning of anticipation for when the soil reinvigorates for another time of growth. This annual symphony of colour is a concluding farewell to summer prosperity and a welcoming to an unapologetic time of rest throughout the monochromatic months.
I cherish my time in the forest where even a leaf dropping into the crisp forest floor was enough to startle you. Between Aspen nosing around every tree and the infrequent wisping wind, there is space for reflection and anticipation. I've come to realize I fall into these manners of being relatively easily, which some classify as contemplation. The risk I've experienced is that these attempts to escape the procession of time can arise unhealthily in the forms of regret and worry. During my time with this forest, I slowly understood that for the mushrooms, plants, mammals, birds, amphibians, and insects the only moment existing was the one simultaneously occurring and equally unobservable. I should also acknowledge that realizing and experiencing the stepping out of contextualized time are two unique encounters. Realizing begins with an empathy for all things. Experiencing an unfiltered moment doesn't seem to be something we can emulate but an occurrence that appears beyond our yearning for it.
Thank you for spending the time to read my words and view the photos. I hope that those of you joining in on this series are fortunate enough to find a space where you can embrace a similar experience. The images are from Moose Lake Provincial Park, the place I have spent the most time intentionally seeing.
