Saad Shaikh, MD

I was driving from Atlanta to Blue Ridge for my annual fall foliage trip when I noticed what looked like two men bent over the hood of an old truck, as if fixing it. I almost passed by without a second thought. Something about the scene felt ordinary, even forgettable. But then I turned around. What I had taken for two men were actually scarecrows. Their backs faced me, their posture convincing enough to pass as human at a glance. And then the detail revealed itself, almost playfully. Their pants sagged just enough to expose what looked like bare backsides, but were in fact pumpkins. A quiet joke placed in the landscape, waiting for someone to notice. I would have missed it completely if I had not chosen to look again. There is a saying often attributed to Zen: first thought, best thought. Or in another form, first look, best look. But this only holds true when there is presence. When the mind is still, not rushing ahead, not filtering the world through habit and assumption. Because mo...