Lion Eyes

In his eyes was an intensity, a warning, a dare that you'd ignore at your own peril. On his nose were scars from his mate, his adversary, his cubs. Life is raw. Life is now.

This male #Africanlion in #Kenya's #Samburu had been separated from his mate by a small group of elephants. For half an hour he searched for her, daring to stand pat while a young elephant bull walked 10 yards from him. He walked within touching distance to our safari vehicle while I snapped photo after photo of him. Usually he ignored the sound of my #NikonD850's shutter release, except this once. He was no more than 15 feet away from my lens. For all of two seconds he looked into my eyes through the lens and he totally quieted me. Three minutes after this photo was taken the #lion and #lioness were reunited, and their coupling gave evidence to the fact that emotions aren't restricted to homo sapiens alone.

Life is now.

I've looked at this photo time and time again since it was taken in February of 2019. His eyes and his scars serve as a stark reminder to me that life is now - not five minutes from now and not five minutes ago. Look into your eyes in a mirror. Look at the scars on your arms or on your face. Remind yourself throughout the day that even as you plan for tomorrow this moment is all you have. Now is your time.