Focus on the Backroads » Photo Journeys

FOCUS ON THE BACKROADS: THE HORIZON

HORIZON (noun) 1. the line or circle that forms the apparent boundary between earth and sky.   2.  the limit or range of perception, knowledge, or interest.

If you are standing (or driving) on a flat road it appears to stretch forever – however because of the curvature of the earth, the horizon is only three miles away.  Unless you are wearing heals then it is a little further!  When standing on a beach at the Pacific Ocean it looks humungous, it appears to stretch forever.  It actually does but you are only seeing three of the nine thousand miles across it.

When I was young my family would drive from Washington State to Montana to visit my grandparents.  Mom and Dad would be up front and my two brothers and I would jump into the back, after fighting who was going to have to sit on the “hump”.  We would head out of the neighborhood to begin our 665 mile drive from Vancouver to Helena (now you know why we fought over who would sit on the hump).  After following the Columbia River for about an hour and after singing 100 bottle of beer on the wall (at least a 100 times – which is actually 10,000 bottles of beer) we would start asking “how much further to Grandma’s house”…..only to be told either it was over the next hill or it was up over the horizon.  Later I realize that everything in life is up over the next horizon.

The horizon provides many things…..in the morning beautiful sunrises, in the evening beautiful sunsets.  It is a marker for a destination driving down the road (just ask my parents).  It is the FOCUS point of many photographs.  Most important it give us hope as we wonder what is BEYOND THE HORIZON:  below is a poem by Abbin Joseph

BEYOND THE HORIZON

The sun disappeared beyond the horizon after burning brightly
The sky appeared rosy like the pomegranate before darkness crept in
Birds in a row swiftly fluttered their wings to reach their nests
I stood still staring at the sky beyond the vast horizon

The horizon is the dividing line between the known and the unknown
Beyond the horizon there is always hope;hope of the unknown
Hope of the unseen,hope of a better tomorrow and a bright future
The horizon is a symbol of days yet to come and duties yet to perform

Beyond the horizon there is the thrill of expectation and zest for life
The readiness to embrace whatever happens for the love of life
The indomitable will to face the challenges of life from time to time
The realization that the battle of life is to be fought till the end

Beyond the horizon there are unfulfilled dreams and unsung songs
Unknown worlds,untrodden paths and unconquered heights
I stood still lost in my thoughts like a naughty kid
Streaks of light appeared beyond the horizon in the farthest end

The horizon brings contradictory thoughts in a disturbed mind
Series of anxious thoughts about the future as well as the present
Revealing the mind’s dilemma to face the unknown fearing failure
Showing man’s basic reluctance for change and novelty due to fear

We dream many things and build castles in the air
They are shattered in a moment by unexpected events
Like a sudden storm that wipes out trees and roofs en route
Life,like the imaginary horizon is full of uncertainties and surprises

 

Keep your eyes on the horizon (and the road)

 

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