I like taking photographs. It’s a hobby of mine and I’ve taken a few photography classes throughout the years. I don’t have any plans to market and sell my photos, though if someone offered to buy them, I wouldn’t complain! When I travel, I’m constantly behind my camera trying to take photographs of everything. If I see an interesting building, park, person or sign, my camera comes out and I spend time changing my camera settings to get a perfect shot.

 

But one morning in September, as I was running around the Piazza del Duomo in Pisa, Italy without my camera, I realized that the day before, when I had visited the area to take photos, I had missed many details. While I was looking through my camera lens, I had missed the beautiful ornate carvings on every building in the square. I hadn’t seen the trees that gently framed the terrace. Nor had I really looked at the people that had traveled from various parts of the world to come to this one place to see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.

 

As I slowly ran, I really SAW the square. The trees, the shop stalls, the grass and the morning light that touched the stark white buildings. I stopped to read signs and watched as people who had never seen the tower before gawk in awe.

 

I had completely missed these the day before because I was concentrating on adjusting my camera settings and getting the most interesting shot. I had missed what was right in front of me.

 

I learned that though I want to and should take photographs of my travels, every now and then, it’s good to put the camera down and see things through my real eyes.