Shadows & Shade at the Beach (Lens-Artists Photo Challenge 6-12-2021)

The theme for the Lens-Artists photo challenge is shadows and shade. 

Let’s go beachside. Starting with this path to the beach:

This mint-green stucco stood out.

Have you heard that sea turtles had a boost to nesting as humans pulled back from beaches during the pandemic?  

That is a nice outcome of the lockdowns.  

I smile to think of the folks that track the nesting sites and put up these little protective barriers. What meaningful work.

This next image comes from where we stayed while beachside.

This old car, a Nissan 300 ZX, sits parked and the owner still keeps the plates current. 

Check out the air plant living under the tire (in the shade and shadow).

I took the photo because I knew someone, back in 1992, who had a similar car (same model, same year, and same color). It was their sports car and it was quite a little showy car.  They kept it garaged and enjoyed it on weekends. Each time I saw this run down version of that car, I was reminded that some possessions have a shelf life. I was reminded that “stuff” –  like cars and houses  – will come and go. (And okay, when we say “stuff” I think of George Carlin’s comedy routine on stuff, but that is for another time.)

When I pulled up next to this old Z, I wondered if it was the actual car that was owned by the person I knew from Winter Park, FL (in 1992).  You know, maybe it went though a few owners over the decades and made its way from central Florida to this beachside community two hours away.

But it was the air plant that brought many smiles.  

The plant  – thriving near the tire  – reminded me that nature can be quite adaptable. I also thought of the message about how we should be adaptable and “bloom where planted.”

 I then thought about what things would be like 10 or 20 years from now.  What will really matter to me and in my life?  Not stuff, that’s for sure; instead, what might matter more is healthy relationships, how people felt, and having lived with purpose.  Having been mindful of meaningful pursuits. Having enjoyed my days and reached a level of satisfaction.  “Things and stuff” play a role in our lives – of course they do – but we cannot depend on them for fulfillment. They cannot meet the needs humans have.  I thought of how some folks “rat race their life away” in the pursuit of material possessions and then later might be sick, miserable – and unable to enjoy what they worked so hard for.  

What do we want to really accomplish with the “space between” right now and a decade from now? I will remember the Z to make sure I am mindful of what brings long-term fulfillment.

Thanks for your visit today.

Have you been to the beach lately?

Have you seen any old cars that brought you down memory lane?

Care to join in with the Lens-Artists?

• Tina of https://travelsandtrifles.wordpress.com/
• Amy of https://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/
• Patti of https://pilotfishblog.com/
• Ann-Christine (Leya) of https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com/
  

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.