A brief-yet-ongoing journal of all things Carmi. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll reach for your mouse to click back to Google. But you'll be intrigued. And you'll feel compelled to return following your next bowl of oatmeal. With brown sugar. And milk.

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Monday, March 21, 2011

Crash. Then gone.

Nature's powerDeerfield Beach, FL, December 2010

About this photo: We're exploring transitions this week as part of our latest Thematic theme. If you're got something that even remotely connects - and we're hoping you do - just click here to get the proverbial party started.

As images from Japan continue to dominate news coverage across the planet, I can't stop thinking about waves, and the power they have to change everything around them.

The tsunami that rewrote the landscape of Japan's eastern coastline and literally wiped entire cities off the map is an extreme example of the power of nature. I've spent too much time standing at the edge of the sea, staring at waves as they crash ashore, shooting them with my camera in a near-vain attempt to capture what makes them tick. I can't quite explain my fascination with this place, but it keeps drawing me back every time we're on vacation, and I'm entirely too glad to go along for the ride.

I've always been struck by how much energy these things carry with them, and how quickly that energy is turned into history. They're here, spectacularly, and then they're gone. Just like that. Most of the time, this process repeats itself routinely, essentially ignored by the rest of the world. Most of the time.

I hope I never witness anything approaching the scale of a tsunami. I hope the communities devastated by the one that followed the mega-quake can find a way to rebuild themselves. I give thanks that I have what I have.

And sometime soon, I'll return to the edge of the planet. And once again I'll point my lens at the pounding surf. And maybe in the churning waters I'll see hope for a better future.

2 comments:

You were so skilled to catch this shot! When I clicked to enlarge it, I couldn't believe how powerful the energy in the water looked! Well that sounds strange, but I hope you can understand what I mean :)