A Light in the Darkness

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Humans have an interesting relationship with the dark. When we were children we might have been afraid of the monsters that lived in the closet and/or under the bed…but they only came out when the lights go out…so we used nightlights to keep them at bay.

We don’t seem much better as we age, at least that’s my take given the inordinate degree to which we pollute the darkness with too much light, particularly with the cost, and cost savings, of LED lights, but I dislike the cold blue-white light that they are often tuned to. I prefer golden light at night; it has a warmth to it, and it’s easier on the eyes.

Night is comforting, it is the time to rest and re-energize. I don’t understand why city planners seem so hell-bent on obliterating night.

I am not doing a 365 photo project this year, but I have decided to join a group called “Smile on Saturday”. The themes aren’t posted more than two weeks in advance, so it will keep me picking up the camera at least once weekly.

A little bit of a commitment will keep me accountable to my camera and lens collection, but not having a daily personal obligation will take a bit of pressure off. Juggling two jobs and then needing to find something to photograph before the end of the day led to too many instances of simply tossing some random object on the counter and taking a photo.

And I will still have random jumbled thoughts that need to spill out of my brain and across the keyboard onto the digital page.

I’d rather get back to thinking about the images, practicing and struggling with some challenging lenses (Lensbaby), being a bit more creative sometimes, and…if I hate everything I shot…being able to not post and not feeling guilty about it. I disliked the days where the photo was like “Here…I have nothing to say…”

Or, alternatively, if I feel like writing about some random topic, I can write and then, at some point in time, find an image to embody the writing. And I can take a bit more time to both post process the images, and process my thoughts. Maybe.

The 365 wasn’t bad, though I shot far too many flowers…. but it did bring back the urge to play more with the camera equipment I own.

I am exceptionally skilled at being hard on myself, it’s something I am always working at easing off of. And that is my light in the darkness; giving myself the kindness to enjoy some creativity without guilt or pressure.

I was thinking about this image overnight and I realized that almost every darkness has a light, eventually, if we make the effort to look for it. I suppose it comes down to perspective and how we examine our dark moments.

Even in loss there is the joy of memory. Losing Mom was one of the darkest moments of my life, but once I found my way through I am so grateful for the memories and she pops into my life in some way or another most days. Same with Dad. And the cats. But their absence still left some light behind, and sometimes the light can be shared, as we did this past month with charitable donations that had some relevance to all of them…even the cats.

There is always a light somewhere in the darkness.

Effective vaccines are being distributed and immunizations are underway, and that means that at least one darkness will recede. I hope that we don’t just “get back to normal” because I think we can have bigger dreams for a better normal.

The past year was divisive and polarizing, but I hope that when we emerge from this darkness we have learned to be more empathetic; that we can be kinder to others and that we can also extend that kindness to ourselves and the environment that we share.

Share a bit of light with others, help them out of their darkness if there is a way that you can.

And smile.

Because it’s Saturday 🙂