Being Patient

As a teacher I often hear the statement, “Wow, you have a lot of patience!”. And in my classroom with my students I do. Applying that skill to other parts of my life is occasionally difficult. One early morning I decided to take a ride up to Rocky Mountain National Park. I had a location in mind for sunrise. I knew I wanted to be there when the sun started to rise, and the colors started to pop. When I arrived, clouds were covering everything. After waiting a few minutes I changed my lens to a telephoto and decided I will give up on the beautiful landscape image I had pictured in my head and start looking for wildlife. I drove into the park and came to one of my favorite overlooks. I got out to take a look and saw more clouds. I started to leave, but something told me to stop. Be patient. As I looked across the valley, I noticed the clouds were starting to break up. I waited. Then in an instant the peak of this great mountain came into view, the sun lighting it up perfectly. Although a wide angle lens would have been ok, the zoom that I put on when I gave up earlier was perfect. I was able to bring the subject in to capture this special moment.

Life is fast paced and chaotic. A person needs to think quick and react. This shot proves that sometimes you need to stop. Be patient. The reward may be something beautiful like this picture.

Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado