There are moments of flow in which we suddenly become aware of the unity of all things. Those are peak moments. They are fleeting at best, but leave us elated. I’ve often tried to make sense of those moments, but it is like holding a fish: the more we squeeze, the more they slip out of our grasp.
However, there are other moments that, although not “peak” moments in the same way, also leave us enthused. I’m talking about those moments in which for a little bit various things come together to help one realize how precious everything is in its fragility, simplicity, and in its “everydayness.”
For example, driving down an old country town in the middle of nowhere, I notice the clapboard houses occupying space along with dead industry, the barren terrain, and an old couple out in the porch of their old wooden house with the yard/weeds overgrown. The old couple is just sitting back and watching the occasional car go by. I notice the blue sky, a big banner that invites to a town event, the old graveyard…a soft breeze that feels as if it has always been a denizen of that town… there is beauty and a strong sense of fellowship and compassion when it all comes together. It is a poignant moment — the realization that we need to continue caring each other into wellbeing because… we’re in this world together.
Those are precarious moments. They are full of a sense of fragility, the wispy-ness and tenderness of the evanescent moment. I’d like to experience those moments more and more. Sometimes such moments are bittersweet, but they fill me with hope. They last longer, and are more frequent, than those other “peak experience” moments that I noted above.
I think it would be great to capture that feeling photographically. I know it would be fantastic to offer it to those who view my photographs.
I believe that I have to remain open to the moment, to what’s going on around me, without trying to fit everything into little boxes, if I want to remain receptive to the worlds I encounter. I also think that the compassion that can be nurtured in those moments is a fruit of being mindful. I hope that my photography has that effect––revealing just a little of the human condition as I see it, and igniting such feelings of connectedness. For that to happen, I have to get out of my own way… so that I can see look deeply and whatever beauty, poignancy, and challenges I see… offer to others.
Caveat: Sometimes instead of moments like those described above, all I get is a “run, run like hell!” feeling. Glad for mindfulness in those moments also!