Different Day - Same View....But is it?

Different day, same view.....isn't that how the past two months have felt?  I've heard so many refer to this pandemic as 'groundhog day'.  It's difficult to keep track of what day of the week it is, what day of the month it is....because especially for those of us retired or not working, one day just runs into the next.  Even though we've tried to stay focused on projects, watched the news, and kept up on chores, life seems a little like an old vinyl record stuck on repeat.  Ok....I'm showing my age, I know.  I've been collecting this series of shots for a couple years now, never sure of why but when I added a new one to the collection recently, the point became clear.

Although the view of these photos is the same, at a closer glance the differences are easy to spot.

Different days, different hours, different seasons, but in the grand scheme of things, the view is the same.  In some perspectives the view is barren and boring, in others its lush and plentiful.  The view can look optimistic and promising some days, dismal and drab on others.  This time, this 'thing' we're living through is much the same as these repetitive views.  Some days we wake up and look at the day and feel optimistic and hopeful, ready to tackle whatever life throws at us.  Other days we feel like rolling over and going back to sleep, hopeful that tomorrow will look or feel different.
The thing I think we must remember is that it is often up to us to find the beauty in our days.  It's up to us to focus on the haves and let go of the have-nots.  I don't know why we're in the troubling and uncertain time we're in, or why 100,000 people have died just in this country alone, but I think there must be a reason.  It's up to us to pay attention, to look closely and to find the silver lining in this dark storm cloud.  The God I believe in would not let this suffering occur for no reason.  We must work together to stay safe, to protect others and to make the most of this 'pause' in life as we know it.  Otherwise, all of this pain and loss will have been for nothing.
Ninety-nine percent of the time, I shoot this scene from the same direction.  But one time I shot it from the reverse and what I found as I put this collection together was that the view from the opposite side of the tree was just as beautiful as from the other.  Let us hope, and pray, that once this is all over and we begin to live life from the 'other side' of this pandemic, we remember what we learned, what we lost and what is truly important in our lives.  And then let's move forward with more awareness and gratitude.