Do You Notice the Aroma?
Another day of perfect weather and no AUV with which to take the photographs I need for my project.
Last night the year’s first frost formed on the plants in my yard. I’ve always liked frost. I remember walking to school when I was a kid and stopping to stoop down to look at the amazing patterns that for in the ice crystals on leaves and blades of grass. Later in the winter, I could just move aside the curtain in the tiny single-pained window at the head of my bed to see frost swirls and inflorescences on the glass. Today I pointed it out to my son and I hope that he paid attention to it as he was walking to school with his mother. I’m a real “take time to stop and smell the roses” kind of guy. Life goes by at such a pace most of the time that we finish a week still thinking it’s Monday. Weeks pile up in a blur as we race to finish assignments and cook and clean and do all the things we supposedly have to do. Then, all of a sudden we’re getting ready for the New Year’s Eve. And where did the time go? So, I try to take notice of the passage of time. I certainly don’t notice every minute. I do waste a lot of time. But I think more often than most people, I stop to notice something along the way. That’s part of what my inspiration for photography. It’s strange though, that as I write about this idea of paying attention and trying to immortalize things in memory and photographs I’m forced to remember that I have no photographs of my friends from the university I attended in the States. My friend Paul-who is about the only one with whom I am still in contact-is one of those people. I don’t know of a single photograph in my collection of him.
So, if I’m taking note of things around me, why not the people as well? I have lots of memories of these people-the ones that really matter, anyway. I remember countless hours of gaming with Paul and the others. Those memories always put a smile on my face. Those were really good times and I won’t forget them. In the fantasy world in my mind, I still dream of meeting up with the whole crew-Joe, Bill, TJ and Paul-for one last gaming session sometime before we die…if we are, in fact, all still alive. I once thought it would be fun to get together in our nursing home to relive some of the old day’s adventures and disturb all of the other old folks at the wrinkle farm. But I know that won’t happen…and I’m not even sure that I would really want it to happen.
I’m facing another birthday. I’ll be 34 on Sunday. I think that’s great. I joke about being old and whatnot but the truth is that aside from my back hurting all the time because I’m too lazy to exercise the way I should I don’t feel much different than I did ten years ago. I still feel like I have a long future ahead of me. I understand more now than I did then, but I really feel healthy and young. I like my life and I think part of that content that I feel is because I stop to notice things that bring small pieces of happiness. Like the aroma of roses and the smiles of friends.
Last night the year’s first frost formed on the plants in my yard. I’ve always liked frost. I remember walking to school when I was a kid and stopping to stoop down to look at the amazing patterns that for in the ice crystals on leaves and blades of grass. Later in the winter, I could just move aside the curtain in the tiny single-pained window at the head of my bed to see frost swirls and inflorescences on the glass. Today I pointed it out to my son and I hope that he paid attention to it as he was walking to school with his mother. I’m a real “take time to stop and smell the roses” kind of guy. Life goes by at such a pace most of the time that we finish a week still thinking it’s Monday. Weeks pile up in a blur as we race to finish assignments and cook and clean and do all the things we supposedly have to do. Then, all of a sudden we’re getting ready for the New Year’s Eve. And where did the time go? So, I try to take notice of the passage of time. I certainly don’t notice every minute. I do waste a lot of time. But I think more often than most people, I stop to notice something along the way. That’s part of what my inspiration for photography. It’s strange though, that as I write about this idea of paying attention and trying to immortalize things in memory and photographs I’m forced to remember that I have no photographs of my friends from the university I attended in the States. My friend Paul-who is about the only one with whom I am still in contact-is one of those people. I don’t know of a single photograph in my collection of him.
So, if I’m taking note of things around me, why not the people as well? I have lots of memories of these people-the ones that really matter, anyway. I remember countless hours of gaming with Paul and the others. Those memories always put a smile on my face. Those were really good times and I won’t forget them. In the fantasy world in my mind, I still dream of meeting up with the whole crew-Joe, Bill, TJ and Paul-for one last gaming session sometime before we die…if we are, in fact, all still alive. I once thought it would be fun to get together in our nursing home to relive some of the old day’s adventures and disturb all of the other old folks at the wrinkle farm. But I know that won’t happen…and I’m not even sure that I would really want it to happen.
I’m facing another birthday. I’ll be 34 on Sunday. I think that’s great. I joke about being old and whatnot but the truth is that aside from my back hurting all the time because I’m too lazy to exercise the way I should I don’t feel much different than I did ten years ago. I still feel like I have a long future ahead of me. I understand more now than I did then, but I really feel healthy and young. I like my life and I think part of that content that I feel is because I stop to notice things that bring small pieces of happiness. Like the aroma of roses and the smiles of friends.
posted by Our Hero, at 9:35 AM
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