Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Me and My Shadow

As the combine makes another swath through the field, I watch the wheat feed into the header in front of me. 'Round and around my farmer takes me, the combine eating up the bowed golden heads, removing the kernels and spitting out the straw and chaff in a cloud of dust.

It's the same, over and over and over again. And you hope for the sameness. If the combine keeps on its hungry path, it means that gears and levers are moving along as designed. It means that you're not waiting for trucks to arrive back at the field after flat tires or thrown belts. (Yes, there have been two flat tires and a belt incident so far this harvest.)

But then I notice the shadows.

There we are, reflected in the combine window in front of us - me taking yet another photo and Randy with hands on the wheel. It's not a mirror image, but just a different way of looking at ourselves.
I turn and look at the grain tumbling from the auger into the combine's bin. And, as it spills, I see Randy's shadow from another perspective and also see the grain truck reflected in the glass as it sits across the field.

Sometimes, in the sameness of our lives, it's good to see things from a new angle. We go 'round and 'round, not pausing to notice the people and the places right in front of us. It sometimes takes looking at the same thing in a new way.
We shouldn't spend life looking through a rearview mirror, but sometimes it helps us figure out where to go in the future, doesn't it?

2 comments:

  1. Well done Kim! How many times did Randy say to get out of his way (lol)? Only a photographer would understand your movements. Fred

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  2. Thanks, Fred! Randy is pretty much the most patient person on earth, which is good since he's married to me! Actually, he even calls me on occasion with photo ideas - like the other night when the moon was rising. I didn't get a super great shot, but it was fun to try. Thanks again for taking time to comment!

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