Parq Central View © 2012 Bo Mackison

Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. ~ Rumi

A handsome, hand-crafted door. Century old leaded glass with beveled edges. The view of the park across the street is framed so perfectly in the arched panes. I think the abstract view through the slightly imperfect glass panes is lovely – wavering colors melding from one hue to another, the cool palette of colors – blues, greens, purples.

But no matter how lovely the door’s wood nor the hand-crafted window panes’ specks of flaws, nor the meticulous workmanship to combine raw materials into a work of practical art, I still want to open the door and explore the outdoors. I want to cross the street and walk in the park, be a part of the park – bare-footed in the grass, looking up at the sky through the over-arching leafy branches. Feel the grass tickling the soles of my feet, the wind brushing against my face, let my hands touch the bark patterns – rough, smooth, bumpy.

The view through the glass is lovely. But sometimes even barriers are deceivingly beautiful or unhelpful. Knowing when to remove the barrier and explore further is the true test.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.