in the dark

i was in the darkroom yesterday, after a couple of days of producing satisfying, but basically ho hum work, when this image appeared in the developer.  i wasn't really expecting much from the image since it was a tad overexposed on my contact sheet and didn't appear too exciting.  i certainly wasn't expecting my heart to stop with excitement.  but it did.  i couldn't stop looking at this simple tree in the sunlight.  it was perfect.  i quickly developed three more prints and then went on working.
this morning, based on past experience, i anticipated a huge letdown when i went into the darkroom to look at the print again, now curled and dry on the rack.  i never like my work the day after printing.  it always looks drab and boring and trite and why am i wasting my time creating this rubbish.  trees died for this, you know?
for some inexplicable reason, i still loved this image.  even without the wonderful water sheen that coats an image when you pull it from the wash.  it still made me happy and proud and eager to take another picture and develop another print.
this got me to wondering... why?  why this image?  what is it in this tiny black and white print that makes my heart sing?
first, i think, it's the simplicity.  it's just a tree in the sunlight.  nothing more, but that's all it needs to be.  it's also the textures.  the way the bark of the tree echos the grittiness of the wall.  it's the dance of the leaves and the dappled light.  it's the wonder of this little tree growing from the concrete of a busy Manhattan cross street.  finally, it's the fact that these miraculous moments are occurring right now, all around us, and all we have to do is venture out, slow down and take a look.