In Search of the Great Perhaps
Toying with ideas around my relationship with mom over the course of my existence keeps coming back to mind again and again. If any of you read my previous posting The Great Escape, you might have noticed our past wasn’t paved with mint ice cream. But I wanted to explore the entire gamut of emotions; and not just mine, but hers as well. There are two sides to every story. And even though some chapters are buried under cobwebs, dusting off the pages might offer some new insights to previously clouded judgements.
So I sat down one Wednesday night with a bottle of wine and interviewed Mom. Both a little nervous, we drank the courage slowly….and opened up the attic door to the past.
It was one of those great conversations I will remember till the end of my days. Time removed the goggles of my adolescents and showed a different perspective to this woman who gave me life. I had a list of questions prepared to assist with the flow of memories. Some questions were easier than others. Some answers, buried quite deep, blurred around the edges making it difficult to recall. But over the course of that discussion, what struck me the most was her bravery.
You may laugh at this now, Mom, but there was a resolve inside you that pushed you out in search of the great perhaps. To the other side of the country. Far away from everything familiar and into the unknown. You tell me now that I am more apt to take risks, but I say you took the biggest risk of all…in pursuit of a better life. For independence. For sanity. For a chance at happiness. Not many have the gumption for that level of boldness. In fact, many still live in the same town/neighborhood in which they were raised. Many hold tight to those toxic relationships, desperately and perhaps foolishly.
But you didn’t.
And of course, I’m rather glad that you didn’t as I may not be here to write about it.
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Behind the Scenes - In Search of the Great Perhaps
Animals find their way into my suitcase of stock images quite frequently due to the simple fact that they are freakin’ adorable and that I want to take them all home. I could live like Snow White in the woods with a thousand furry creatures but I’m sure Capt. Awesome would kill me! Anyhow, I knew these cute kits would wind their way into the limelight one day. Poised and waiting patiently, they were merely waiting for the right image.
Truth be told, I didn’t know what to make of this scene when I first set my sights upon it. I knew I had an hour during lunch on Granville Island and I wanted to make the most of it. The typical Pacific Northwest weather set in, wrapping the skies in grey while the dampness hung to the air, preparing for rainfall. Right next to my hotel loomed this magnificent hill. Climbing to the top elicited great scenes of the Vancouver skyline. But I loved how that hill shielded city life from the camera so I planted my tripod and got to work. It’s amazing what some angles can do to one’s sense of space.
When it was all said and done, my favorite image was what I least expected. I rather enjoy those happy accidents.
The only thing missing was one furry creature…coming right up!
I enjoy adding these elements of nature into my scenes. Animals can symbolize so many different things and we naturally have a tendency to personify them. So whether they are the silent observer, the messenger, the spirit animal, the companion, or the trouble-maker (I could go on and on), they add a little of the unexpected and sometimes a bit of mystery to an image.
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