Narrow focus and missed opportunities

Sep 10

I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.

Mark Twain

After a while, I began paddling along the shoreline where there was an interesting snag that had fallen partly into the water. I realized that the lake and stunning mountains behind the partially submerged tree would make a great photo! As I unthinkingly paddled closer to the downed snag, I contemplated what would be the best composition for the photo. I focused on getting the kayak into just the right position to take a perfect photo, one balancing the elements of tree trunk & limbs, water, and mountains. I took several photos, then drifted towards shore. Meanwhile, my friend had paddled after me but was at the far end of the snag. She began wildly crying out to look at the osprey on the snag!

Recently, a friend and I went to a lake where we used kayaks to go visit the lake’s only island. We enjoyed our little paddle over to the island as well as exploring the views by climbing to the rocky little summit. When we got back into our kayaks to paddle to a southern shoreline, I got to see a big beautiful osprey fly right above me, though my friend missed it. When we got to the shoreline, we found multiple nests high up in the tops of standing snags (dead trees). We could hear and see the birds, but they were rather far away and high up for a good photo.

As happy as I was for my friend capturing stunning close-up photos, I was so sad that the position of my kayak had tree limbs in front of me which obstructed any clear view of the osprey. It flew away before I could get in a good position for a close-up photo. When I later looked back at my photos of the snag with mountain behind it, I realized that the osprey had been there all along. In my preoccupation with getting a mountain/snag/lake photo, I had been blind to the best photo of all…the osprey right before me. You can see it if you focus on the Instagram or Facebook photo…

The experience made me think about how often we can do this same thing in other areas of life. When in school, one can be so focused on getting good grades that the real purpose of learning eludes us. We can be so busy planning and carrying out a family event that special unanticipated moments get brushed aside as a distraction. Our laser sharp, but narrow focus can cause us to overlook a moment that can’t be recaptured.

It’s difficult to know how to address this tendency, but the most important thing is not getting so focused on any one thing that you miss the chance to appreciate something else. As is generally the case in life, openness and flexibility is often key.

***Be sure to scroll on to see more osprey photos. All close-up osprey photos, courtesy of Jaci Wollenberg