This summer I had the unique opportunity to see some incredible places and I’ve left all of them not only feeling small, but with the humble understanding that I AM small.  The world is an astonishingly big place, but without perspective it’s easy to forget that.
In my travels, I found myself in many places that accurately reminded me of my size compared to the world around me.  Surprisingly, I found it quite refreshing to feel so insignificant, completely wrapped up in nature’s awe and wonder.
In photography, scenes like these are known to contain what’s referred to as elements of scale: useful aspects that give the viewers an idea of the actual size of the subjects within the photograph.  In each of the photos below, you’ll find at least one person that helps give an understanding of the sheer size of the Rocky Mountains on the front range in Colorado from 14,000+ feet (you may have to look deeply, but Waldo is certainly there).
In everyday life, we encounter elements of scale that can remind us how small we are.  How life is so short and precious.  How dependent we are on others.  Sometimes they’re not as beautiful as the places I’ve seen.  Sometimes they unfold after senseless violence, but they’re all around us regardless of where or how we see them.
My hope is that we, as tiny individuals, use these powerful moments for reflection.  To see the world as it really is – a vast environment bigger than us all individually, but a place we can use and improve if we work collectively.  If we’re able to set aside our own agenda(s) and recognize that life is greater than us all as individuals then perhaps we could seize the opportunity each of us have to make the world the place we want it to be.
#all_lives_matter

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