A Hot Springs Street at Night, and Spending Time Wisely
A nighttime view of a street in Hot Springs, Arkansas, from our visit there last year.
Back in early 2024, Laura and I went to Hot Springs, Arkansas, for our church’s annual marriage retreat. While we were there, we took a little time to look around and see what we could see.
As we walked along the street at night, I thought the view across the street was interesting, and I was glad that I had my camera with me. If you are curious, if you go farther up the street (to the right in this photo), you will reach the Arlington Hotel. And to the left, or the other direction down the street, is Bathhouse Row.
While we would usually just zip by in our car, barely noticing the things around us, I was glad that we had the opportunity to walk and take it all in. Cars are good, but they can be a little too fast sometimes, even when the speed limit is slow.
Recently, our friends visited Hot Springs, and that got me to thinking about our trip last year and how I still have more photos to share from it. So this may not be the last that you see from this Hot Springs trip.
Slow Down
We generally rush around from one thing to the next, both figuratively and literally. And by “we”, I mean all of us as a general population, not just Laura and me. We (as a people, still) barely have tine to finish something we are doing before we rush on to the next thing. Or if we are going somewhere, we (still the peopley “we”) leave in just enough time to get where we are going right when it is about to start. Rush, rush, rush.
But there are times when we can slow down and take it all in. We can spend more time doing something because we have not almost overbooked our time. We can take a leisurely stroll down a street and enjoy the views. All of that actually takes a little more planning than rushing through everything.
It is easier to agree to everything and then try to fit it all in and make it all work than it is to say no to something. That is probably a psychological thing due to the fact that we do not want to miss out on anything (FOMO, or fear of missing out, as they say these days). Our brains tell us, “Don’t say no, because you might not get to enjoy something good.”
If we slow down and spend our time more deliberately, then we can enjoy the good things even more. Yes, we might miss out on something, but we will better be able to enjoy what it is that we have chosen. Make wise choices to spend time doing worthwhile things, and you will not be too often disappointed.
Slow down, spend your time wisely, and enjoy what you get to do. It will be a blessing.
Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts. - Psalm 90:12 CSV
About the Photo
I like night photos, although there is not much to take night photos of where we live. So when we go somewhere, I like to see what photos I can take. Because I do not have that much experience with night photography, sometimes it is trial and error. It takes a steady hand, and you have to be sure to come to a full stop if you are walking. But I do like how this one turned out.
As usual, I did make some corrections in processing the photo, mainly to make things a little brighter. That is one of the joys of digital photography for me - being able to enhance things after you take the actual photo.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Darktable and GIMP.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Rokinon 35mm f/1.8
ISO: ISO-400
Shutter Speed: 1/20 sec.
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal length: 35mm
Date: February 2, 2024
Location: Hot Springs, Arkansas
