Looking Closely

   One thing that this camera thing has taught me, or is trying to teach me, is to look closely at what is around me. An example in point happened yesterday as I took me camera out to explore.

   As I walked down the sidewalk, I brushed into a spider web that had been spun about head height right off to the left side. Although my first thought was one of annoyance at the placement of the web, on closer inspection I saw the spider sitting in the middle, I guess waiting for dinner, and he, or she, was like none that I had seen before.

   This unusual looking critter really caught my eye as I enlarged his image on the computer. I knew he was strange, but how strange he really was.

   I thought about him this morning. I was not happy with the placement of the web, right on my path, but just perhaps there was a reason. Because he had spun his web right there, I was forced to stop, look and think. I was reminded to take a closer look at what was around me all the time.

   There may be more spiders on my path this day, or there may be people that I do not need to just brush on past on the routes that I take. There may be situations, like spider webs, that I should treat with more respect than annoyance.

   Maybe that web was in the right place. After all, it was still there this morning, and the spider looked healthy and well fed. He even brought along a friend, who had spun another one right beside it. As I duck to stay out of the way, I'll try to remember the lesson and look more closely as I travel.

   I'll never know unless I stop to look.