The spare chair.
It beckons.
It doesn’t look comfortable, nor especially pretty. But for some reason, it invites me to come and sit down for a while. It begs for a friend to sit across from me. Sipping a cup of tea, and watching the world go by on the sidewalk beyond.
I can feel myself on this chair. Sitting forward on the edge. My feet on the lower rail, wrapping ankles around the leg. My elbows on the table, my hands around my cup. Looking intently at my companion, as she talks.
I can feel myself shifting the chair, the sound of metal scraping on concrete, to turn the chair out from the table. Leaning against the hard back, legs crossed, as I quietly watch the busy street. Cars going by, pedestrians moving in and out of shops. Snippets of conversation and laughter float by.
The world moving around me as I sit. And watch. And listen. And observe.
The spare chair beckons. I think I’ll sit for a while.
My Photo-Heart Connection seems to be about rest this month. It’s about pausing for a moment to just watch the world around me. Instead of charging ahead, moving forward, always being the one with a plan. But maybe not cushy rest… the spare chair invites me to active rest. Observation as part of the environment. It is fitting, as I head away on vacation for a week, to be reminded of what I need to do. Watch. Observe. Listen. I am so anxious to get to a new place with my camera, to explore again. This has been a month full of creativity with my painting and my printing but not in the way of quiet observation that so calls to me in photography. The spare chair reminds me of what I need to do this week.
I’ll be away from the computer much of the week, but I will be coming by when I can to visit all of your Photo-Heart Connections. Don’t be surprised if I’m late this month. I hope that those of you participating will pick up my slack and visit each other. As powerful as seeking your own Photo-Heart Connection is, there is power in witnessing the heart connections of others. We learn to see deeper, to see differently, from each other. We may find our kindred spirits on this journey through life. I’ll see you back here on the blog in a week or so.