Kindred Eyes and a Strangers Face

Letting everything in.

It’s about that time. Time to let in the shadows and the light. That’s how we know we are alright. I think I’ve been doing that as it relates to the age of the pandemic. There are days when all I see are shadows. I tried my best to get into the light. I think I might be better off letting the shadows in and work toward the light. Slowly.

Then, I could actually see some progress.

I came to this way of thinking after reading a friend’s blog. It was all sweetness and light. It drove me crazy. There was no room for error or failure. I know for a fact that most things end in failure. It’s that baseball hitter thing again. It’s how we recover that really matters.

Sometimes, what we do is a lonely job. If something works, really works, we deserve the credit. If we had help, share the credit. But, remember that lonely job thing. If you succeeded, claim it.

Anyway.

That’s what I think. What I think may not matter. Much.

The Picture

As I mentioned, I’ve been posting a different collection of images on Instagram. As I edit my archives I find some images that I’d rather keep over here on Storyteller.

This is one of them. I made this picture on a Mardi Gras Sunday, walking back to my car from the parade route. I’d seen the decorated porch on my way to the parade. I thought if there was a person sitting there it would be a cool image.

On the way back, there she was. The perfect person. And old Black woman with a gentle smile on her face. I asked if she minded if I made a photograph with her in it. She smiled and said, yes. I thanked her. I made the picture. I thanked her again. I returned with a print. A year later.

The hardest thing about making this file into a photograph was keeping it from turning green. The house is green. The trim is green. The light reflected all that green. The female jester’s head was my calibration mark. She’s pure white. Get that white and everything falls into place. I did and it did.

Stay safe. Stay mighty. Feel the shift within you. Enjoy every fried fish sandwich.