Through memory you can focus the things you've learned in the past on the life you are living today. This image was taken a while ago, by me. It seems like a very long time but in reality it wasn't all that long ago. It was 2008, so 10 years ago now. It was taken just after sunset. We were sitting on the balcony of our hotel room with some snacks and watching the sun dip down below the horizon in virtual silence...Except for the occasionally munching of snacks of course. It was, as you might imagine, quite idyllic.
The photo was taken at Phuket, Thailand, a place I've been a few times. In fact, Phuket was the very first overseas trip I had ever been on; It was quite the adventure that first time. On the occasion this image was taken I was there for a friends wedding, the second or third time I had visited.
I've recently been scrolling through thousands of digital photos on my cloud service looking for a few specific photos and, despite applying a lot of focus to the task, seem to get distracted by the images of past holidays, events and memorable moments easily. I'm not sure how long it's going to take me to locate the images I am looking for but at this rate I might be still looking in a year or two. Oh well, what a pleasurable way to spend my time.
Photographs have a way of bringing memories back vividly, for me at least anyway. I look at a photo like the one in this post and can remember the warmth of the evening, the sound of birds squabbling over which branch they will inhabit for the night, the type of snacks on the table in front of me, the beverage I was drinking and of course the company I had at that moment, sitting beside me...Bikini-clad, hair up in a pony tail, long legs stretched out on the outdoor setting, red sunset staining her blonde hair pink...
This photo is not great by any means, my digital camera wasn't the best really, just a cheep one...But it brings the memory to me with just a glance and the memory was great, as was the moment itself! We, as humans, are fortunate to have the ability to remember, to recall good (and bad things) to mind and apply them in the present. It reminds me of a quote made by Wilfred Peterson which says it perfectly I think...
Memory is a record of your personal experience. It is a record of trial and error, defeat and success. Past failures will warn you against repeating them. Past victories will inspire you to set new marks of achievement. Through memory you can focus the things you've learned in the past on the life you are living today. - Wilfred Peterson
And so my journey through thousands of photographs will continue and each one will bring me back to the place it was taken, the moment, the emotion, feeling...I feel fortunate to have the ability to do so, to have had those experiences and moments in the first place and the ability to transport myself there through the images. Now, back to the photos...
