I listened to a commentary on the subject of the detrimental side of taking selfies -- being so absorbed in the taking that people are unaware of or ignore dangerous situations and die because of it. I have never understood nor am I motivated by this self-absorbed, somewhat indulgent craze and can happily say I've personally taken only a few specifically when I needed a head shot for something. On rare occasions, I have posed with others as they snapped and must say I was not an enthused participant.
The commentator continued talking about how we lose the experience when we resort to capturing the moment rather than living it; I have grappled with, uttered, contemplated, accepted, rejected and resolved for myself to a point those very words. Obviously to a point since a twinge of guilt passed quickly through me when I heard them. As a photographer and one who finds gratitude from sharing my experiences through pictures, I am compelled to capture images as I move about. Listening to the narrative made me realize that I have allowed the distractions of the past month or so to rob me of time which I normally would have devoted to my passion; the last time I snapped over 200 pictures in one hour was difficult for me to recall. I wrote down some thoughts, grabbed my camera and headed to the Botanic Gardens fully intending to peer through my lens often!
As I walked, I thought back to the commentator and remembered something she said about loosing the art of storytelling because we are busy recording time in pictures. (I had to stop to dictate my own thoughts into my phone as a reminder for inclusion in whatever commentary was taking shape in my head.) There is more than one way to tell a story. In kindergarten, the teacher read then showed us the pictures; relating them back to what she said helped me learn to read as I am better at tactile learning. And of course there is the oral tradition when the elders pass down stories, history from generations past. Though there are no actual pictures to look at, watch their faces and you will see images that need no recording.
I arrived at the Gardens thinking about all that is missed when I travel or even go for my morning walk with camera in hand. Experiencing life truly is something beneficial to self and though selfies are fun, I embraced the point the commentator was driving at -- live it a little more often, capture the moments in your spirit, relive them with words, expressions, and emotions and you will create a picture more vivid than the still of a selfie. And while I took hundreds of gorgeous images, I also spent time interacting with people, stepped back to fully appreciate the surroundings since I have not been to Botanic Gardens in DC since I was a child comparing my feelings now to then, noticed my body temperature as it fluctuated with the change in air between rooms, listened to the sounds differentiated by experiential atmosphere in each room, and just breathed all of it in.
Before I walked home, I sat down outdoors to let the memory of the time spent settle into my being and realized that the entire day was sent in order for me to ground myself after a whirlwind of a February. And so that’s my story in words with some pictures to enhance the telling.
keep your peepers open!®
I was grateful to have had some time to look at my past, gain an understanding of how certain situations shaped who I am, and realize that I truly had risen above their ability to caste a dark shadow on my being. While emotions were stirred, they served as a reminder that I am a feeling individual who, like us all, met challenges along my path, some that still need to be explored while others no longer require more than acknowledgement as a stepping stone to now. Only you will know the difference so...
