“The most powerful words in English are, “Tell me a story.”
Pat Conroy, My Reading Life
Do you ever stop on the side of the road to snap photos?
On our way back, we drove past a meadow of dandelions off the highway. The view was just too beautiful to miss, so we pulled over. We couldn’t miss it anyway, even if we tried. The weather was nice, our outfits were on point, and the lighting was perfect. Why waste the moment.
A picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes. However, a mere picture will not show you everything that’s happened at a particular moment. Not trying to be philosophical here, but things aren’t always as they appear.
What you do not see in these photos are cars passing by and the bewildered looks people are giving us, probably wondering what the hell we’re doing. Only a few feet away stands a Defense de Passer (No Trespassing) sign on the curb–which we deliberately ignored for a “Cedie” moment in the grass field. The photos won’t tell you that I’m limping off with a sprained foot and very much struggling to get the poses right.
Our “shouldn’t take long, nobody will notice” photo op took an eternity to wrap up, finally after 9 billion photos of the exact same spot. Lol
Regardless, the best roadtrip photos happen when and where you least expect them.
Sure, you can take as many photos as you can. But once in a while, put the camera down and take a moment to enjoy the experience through your eyes. Beauty is meant to be savored, not just captured. Although photos are a great “memory-replay” to relive the experience, the present moment is the closest tangible thing you’ll ever have to the original moment when everything becomes a memory.
What’s your photo story?
Life Through the Windshield 