Then, one ordinary day, there she was.
The last few days, for personal reasons of life and love, I was feeling a bit introspective. So be it.
I’ve recently learned to accept, even invite, these self-observing, contemplative moments. Something always good comes out the other end. Today was no different.
Truth be told, I was, more or less, haunted, even chased, all day long, at almost every seeming twist and turn, by this glorious phrase and sentiment from fellow shutterbug and everyday philosopher, David Royall
“Then, one ordinary day, there she was.”
Just writing it down… moves and stirs me. It really does.
David, of course, in context, was speaking to me, about his beloved partner. How sweet is that?
On my end, by transference and application, it seemed like an apropos expression to my iPhone conversion, in Barbados, at the Crane Resort, February 18, 2011.
“Love unlocks doors and opens windows that weren’t even there before.” Mignon McLaughlin
I have always talked about this iPhone conversion as “Love at first sight”. It was that indeed. But this utterance from David help me, now, today anyway, include a second, descriptive point of view to the story.
“Then, one ordinary day, there she was.”
Up until this early, sunrise-drenched morning, I was a happy and productive Canon camera shooter.
I wasn’t, in the least, contemplating changing camps or teams. I was loyal to the Canon cause.
There was just no reason for looking. I was Canon contented.
In the very same way I was, before Canon, Nikon contented, Mamiya contented, Minolta contented, Hasslebald contented.
But…”Then, one ordinary day, there she was.”
I have always been a believer, mostly because of my Capricorn gifts of nature and nuture, to be intentional, not casual about life.
If I wanted something, I went after it, full-throttle, no looking back. Not much has changed over the years.
I’m still motivated, driven, galvanized to seek out that which inspires me most.
But I think, on the other hand, intentions and calculations aside, there is something quite special and remarkable when, instead of your looking and seeking, something or someone finds you.
“Sometimes the one thing you are looking for is the one thing you can’t see.” Anonymous
This was exactly my experience in Barbados.
The iPhone camera found me. And it changed my life and career forever.
The transformation didn’t, of course, happen overnight. It took some time for me to understand the practical, personal, powerful, and poetic nature of the device I had in my pocket and in the palm of my hands.
When, through tireless testing and experimenting, I came to this realization and appreciation, the fun began.
“Love is not an equation, it is not a contract, and it is not a happy ending. Love is the slate under the chalk, the ground that buildings rise, and the oxygen in the air. It is the place you come back to, no matter where you’re headed.” Jodi Picoult
That one ordinary day in Barbados became an extraordinary zeitgeist in my life.
It changed everything.
No, I was looking to change partners but, as fate and destiny would have their way in my photographic life and love… there she was.
I keep wondering whether, in my lifetime, something or someone else will find me, just like this, and I experience yet another profound metamorphosis. Who knows?
Maybe, again, it will come when I’m not looking.
“Those that go searching for love, only manifest their own lovelessness. And the loveless never find love, only the loving find love. And they never have to seek for it.” D.H. Lawrence
Click
Jack
