“Follow the chi.” We heard it over and over again from Professor.

Last weekend I followed the chi, setting aside my huge doubts about taking pictures (especially with a camera I know nothing about), and I set out for a field of flowers just down the road. I was thinking it could be a great shot of a flat, yellow field – a picture representing the element Earth.

The field had been pulling at me every day as I drove by. But, a photographer I am not, and it took all of me to pick up my camera – a complete stranger – and follow the chi.

This is what I found.

A little girl embraced by the bounty of the earth, a field of mustard being prepared – resting – for new vines here in Wine Country. And it was the eve of this little girl’s third birthday – her transition from 2 to 3. Earth is all about the moment just before change takes place. It is a moment of rest, waiting for all that comes next.

It is a celebration full of joy and comfort and potential.

Follow the chi. You may be surprised.