Pathfinder

The first day of the month means it's Theme Day for participating City Daily Photo bloggers. This month's theme is Paths and Passages. I find this a particularly intriguing subject, and not just because of the meaning of my last name.

This theme gives me an opportunity to post another night shot from the sidewalk at Garfield Park. During the day this sidewalk welcomes tricycles, scooters, strollers, skateboards and many first steps from toddlers. At night, it beckons lovers, dreamers, curfew-breakers, a few scavenging skunks and raccoons, and at least one photographer who likes to prowl around in the dark. (This theme also gives me an excuse to obnoxiously wax philosophical, a pastime I find almost as much fun as taking nighttime pictures...)

This sidewalk is a great example of how a single path, even when it seems straightforward, can curve toward the unexpected. But don't most paths reveal surprises if we bother to pay attention? Sure, there are those paths that deep thinkers use to seek enlightenment -- the Eightfold Path, the Simple Path, the path of righteousness, the path of reason-- but what about all the other ones? Like the everyday sidewalks and alleyways that host the majority of our steps.

A pathway can call us out to explore adventure or help us find our way home. It is a great symbol of the present moment because a path is not the origin or the destination; it's not the past and it's not the future. Nope. A path is simply the bridge from this way to that way. And everybody knows a view from a bridge is usually spectacular.

I tend to seek paths that are less traveled, but I gladly admit how comforting it is to walk a beaten track in a place I know well. And in a place that knows me. So here's one of the familiar paths, lit by streetlamps after a rain, pointing toward possibility. Like Matsuo Basho said, "Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home."

Take a few moments to explore the paths and passages of all participating City Daily Photo Theme Day bloggers.