Well, for peach's sake... is she ever going to stop playing with these darn peaches and actually cook them or use them for something, other than props? I can almost hear that in the sigh of my patient barber husband as I tell him over the phone when he calls to ask me how the canning is going and I am tell that I "about to start." I am pretty sure he knows what "about to start" really means. It means...I'm about to start in Elizabeth's timeframe, not normal timeframe.
In case you are a little lost, in my prior post, I shared some photos of some peaches that I am planning on making into preserves, but instead, I did a spontaneous photo gig with them as the light from my window hit them so nicely. My little gig, turned into quite a number of photos. I got caught up in the moment, playing with some settings on my camera, trying out some new things that I have been wanting to try out for some time now, and I ended up shooting a butt load of photos! So, I am breaking up my posts into a couple of sessions, to share with you.
It was sort of like playing with paper dolls in a way. You cut out one doll, and then another, and then cut out a few dresses, and soon, you find yourself, cutting out hats, and boots and before you know it, you have all sorts of cut up paper all around you, (in my case, in my hair) gleefully cutting away with the little blunt safety scissors. That is me and my stash of tarnished silver...pulling one out and then another...gleefully seeing what I come up with...
My antique ladle seemed to cradle this little peach so perfectly. And of course, I fell in love with how the light (and lack of) was hitting the tarnished silver. When alone in the house, I tend to cook/shoot/write in silence. No music, no TV. But today, as I bumped the table, to get these shots, I was very aware of how the ladle gently rocked back and forth, and the faint sound it made on the old, cracked wooden table.
The rocking sound was very soothing actually. Sort of like a large marble slowly rolling across a wooden floor. The light flickering off the metal as it rocked and cradled the peach. I think how we grownups still like to be rocked: We rock slowly in a wicker rocking chair on a porch on a breezy afternoon. Or in a hammock on a lazy day. We rock ourselves in a metal glider until we are relaxed. A porch swing will sooth us, even on the most stressful days. It isn't just the young that get rocked. The difference is, the young are cradled and soothed by another human being, while we adults tend to sooth our own selves in our own ways.
And while we may find our own ways to sooth ourselves, we are never really alone. We have ways to refresh each others' soul.
While we may not have the answers to all the troubles, we do have ourselves to offer. And sometimes, just offering ourselves, just as we are, is how we cradle another human being.
I accidentally flicked my wet hands over these peaches when I went to wiped them before I picked up my camera again. I was amazed at how a few perfect droplets formed. I could even see the reflection of my windows in one of them! As I peered closer, amazed at its beauty, I realized, I was merely peering at the reflection of myself and my surroundings - except it was through a simple water droplet. The beauty I was amazed at was right there in my own room - I just was viewing it differently.
And it was then I realized if we just simply offer ourselves to another, we have the ability to cradle that person with a human touch. And let them sooth themselves in their own way in their own time. We don't have to have answers, we just need to offer our own beautiful selves to them.
The key is, I think, is to believe we have something of beauty to offer them in the first place. No matter how simple we may think we come across, from another perspective, it is extraordinary.
May you realize just how soothing your simple words or touch can be to another person. May you always know how extraordinary you truly are.
From my house to your house,
