An Eye for Detail

The morning is growing old as I head into the woods. A slight chill tinges the air, which together with a pearly white sky is indicative of a coming rain. I head for my usual viewpoint into the beauty and glory of the natural world, a majestic fir tree that long ago fell into the marsh and now provides me with a comfortable seat as I watch the glorious concert of the natural world unfold before me. As I head onto the trunk, several mallards take to the air with a whistle of wings and land out of range. The large group of buffleheads gathered together and swam away, splashing and calling to each other with loud honks. Theirs is the joy and reverie of springtime and the life-giving unions that come with it.

As my eyes continue to scan the marsh, I notice a pair of ducks quietly floating at the far end of the marsh. Their stillness and calmness catches my eye. My presence usually causes all ducks within thirty yards of me to take flight, but not so this couple. The male looks a great deal like the male buffleheads that are just now swimming out of range, boasting white cheeks and a dark head. I think about this for a while and conclude that if he were a bufflehead he would be swimming with the group. His mate likewise looks different from the excited female buffleheads. Hers is a different shade of dark brown. As I watch, the two of them slowly move toward each other, obviously with great affection. Then, they headed off into the reeds and were gone as quietly as they had come. My bird guide is not in my back pocket, so I pull out my phone and soon find that I had seen the Hooded Merganser. As I head into the woods, I pause to research more and confirm that hooded mergansers often live in swamps and wooded ponds.

John Burroughs once quoted a poet he had heard, who said, “Look intently enough at anything . . . and you will see something that would otherwise escape you.” I think about how simple powers of observation can open the eyes and mind to dimensions hitherto unseen. With my eyes much sharper, I head back into the woods. I stop to look at the trunk of a Douglas fir and observe the intricate patterns within and on the bark, the blend of light and dark browns. As I cross a small creek, I observe the variety of colors within the small stones and gravel. I observe how even the treetops have a pattern, with the pointed triangular tops of firs blending in with the limbs and branches of alders and maples into a picture that reflects variety and beauty. I look down at the forest floor and notice the undergrowth beginning to leaf out with the advent of spring. A splash of color catches my eye and I notice tiny purple flowers emerging out of the undergrowth, defiantly baring their heads to the world. I see a licorice fern growing in the crotch of a massive old alder tree and mosses clinging to its bark.

My Creator is truly detail-oriented. As he created the natural world, he painted a picture filled with variety and beauty, a vibrant dance of color, shape, and texture. He filled the vibrant picture with vibrant life, a host of birds and animals clothed in a plethora of different colors. The Word even says that He created and has numbered all the hairs of my head. As I head out of the forest, I praise my Creator for the variety and detail He has instilled in the natural world, and for giving me eyes to see and discern what He has put in place.