mabuhay! to life!

This week has been a reflective one. I love pictures! I do. And I think I like them so much because it’s proof that beauty’s all around me. Life spins fast, but a picture pauses it for a brief second and it feels empowering, like you beat the system and somehow were able to capture the truth of someone in the snap of a button. Maybe that’s why I’m so crazy about the arts-at their height they do likewise. At least that’s what I long to believe. People would argue that taking a picture puts you outside that moment, as if you didn’t live it. But I wonder if the slight distance, if the minor disadvantage is worth it. I wonder if like the arts, the way to really see the whole truth is to step outside it.

I wish I could do this when I get into conflict with someone. Stop the moment, so to speak, and take myself outside to peer in. I think I would be better for it, if I could. I definitely try to do this but mostly feel trapped in the four corners of my own 3X5 self portrait. A crooked image, that’s out of focus and the colors are slightly off.

A few weekends ago we worked on the house and I got a chance to spend some time working alongside my friend JoAnn. I’ll freely admit I wish I was like Jo because she’s able to see truth so easily and point it out to others. I mean I’m sure that she doesn’t always see this as a strength in herself, but it’s there. She has the ability to say what she means.
I get to see how she lifts the truth and swirls it around and tosses it back at me. And when I catch it, it looks different. It looks different than anything I imagined it to be. It often returns to me unmasked and raw. Simultaneously, she lets me live the moment, while placing the viewfinder right in front of my eyes.