Thursday, May 30, 2013

"A Picture Is A Thousand Words"

But I say pictures are misleading, I think most people would agree. They capture a specific moment, or event in time and that's it. Possibly the best moment of a week. And we cherish those, laughing, grimacing, or crying, zooming in on a few pixels leaving the rest of the image out of focus. 

I know this is true, but I can't help myself. I keep catching glimpses of photos and find myself wishing for those times. Not because I want to relive or live in the past, but because they are proof I did something, that I lived. 

How does one go about living in the present, enjoying the mundane, while processing the past and planning for the future without going crazy? Or at the very least becoming dissatisfied and frustrated, missing out on the rest of the painting? 

1 comment:

  1. Good questions. I don't think there are any easy answers. But I'll add at least a few more words towards one thousand...
    Pictures are indeed just a moment in time, but they can be important moments that shape us. Or represent the summation of many little moments that added up to this one. Sometimes the best moments aren't even in pictures though, like when the family is reading/hanging out in the living room, together.

    It can be maddening to look at a picture of a moment when you had/experienced something that you don't anymore. But even though that moment is gone, there is great comfort in recognizing that history repeats itself. Or at the very least, has great similarities. The exact situation won't repeat, but new experiences will come with similar joys and relationships. I used to think my life had already reached the ultimate, that the best days are forever past. But I've found it returns, different but better. And that awareness of the past repeating itself brings hope for the future.

    But ah, I'm neglecting the present...
    "How do we live in the present, enjoy the mundane, process the past, and plan for the future without going crazy nor becoming dissatisfied and frustrated?"

    The answer is deceivingly simple: Gratitude.

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