I’m always thankful for busy days at the office. Today I was especially thankful. Late this afternoon I finally received the phone call that I’d waited all day for. The surgeon’s voice was filled with optimism as he shared the successful news of Pita’s three-hour cancer surgery.
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Signs /
My morning hours were decorated with signs of all kinds.
From breakfast sandwich special offers, to signs of direction, faith, sales, political banter, and even a bumper sticker on the car in front of me announcing, “I pooped today.” America loves signs. With all of the continual flow of economic and safety headlines, the signs from the moment I captured this image were telling: Gun Show, Firewood For Sale, and Nascar.
The only sign that appeared to be missing was a welcome mat.
Old is New /
Old is New ©2013 Gary Garbett
Along with a handwritten note, a gift awaited me at my office yesterday. It was a morning of timely lost arts.
Motion of Peace /
Standing ©2013 Gary Garbett
Days from the last week were not for memorializing the bitters of the past, but rather a celebration of the forward motion of peace.
just a man /
Incognito ©2013 Gary Garbett
I've been incredibly fortunate to be lots of things in my life. Unquestionably, one of those things I'm most proud of was the younger version of myself as a youthful, dedicated, full on, wrap my world around it Dad. In my children’s bright young eyes, they made me feel like I was their superhero. In reality however, I was just a man, doing my best, with what I had at being Daddy.
With the kids well into their young adult lives now, those days have long passed. I still remember them though, even if I didn't get the chance to wear a cool cape or fancy boots. Those years were the most inspiring, creative, and loving times of my life. Super powers aren't just for comic book heroes.
Live life. It gives far more back when you do.
Liner Notes: A big thank you to my good friend Matt for tripping the shutter on this image.
silent celebration /
Yesterday I made a two-hour drive to say my goodbyes to a longtime friend. Most of my drive was spent listening to the silence of my thoughts equally balanced with the soft hum of the road. An overflow of memories was my co-pilot.
The emotional evening was a celebration of lives touched by a beautiful, spirited, and love filled woman. Selfishness always seems to get in the way when I unexpectedly lose a loved one. My thoughts are always the same, wishing I'd had the chance to say goodbye.
With fewer than twenty days marked from the calendar this New Year, most have been filled with unexpected love, including these past few days of recent loss.
A gorgeous bright moonlight assisted my headlights in lighting the long rural road trip home. Just as I had done earlier in the day, my co-pilot was once again the silence of memories, this time though, they were paired with many tears of love. A life’s celebration continues.
grit and essence /
Havoc Arrives ©2013 Gary Garbett
The most memorable photographs are seldom those with the sharpest amount of image detail or the ones with the most glamorous model posed with a sultry suggesting mood. Those images that best speak to me often do so with unintended grit, beautiful flaws, and an unstaged real life essence that draws me in and keeps me there. Those are the images with heart.
A successful photograph captures that very moment with sincere emotion.
sum of the day /
My tendency has always been to load up my two-day weekend checklist far beyond any possibility of achievement. For whatever the reason, this weekend has been different.
Saturday offered a perfect day for relaxing. After more than seven hours of listening to vinyl records and playing with my buddies, the hour hand began to cast a shadow on the afternoon. The cold damp day affirmed my decision to still be in my flannel pjs as a second pot of coffee began brewing. Though denim was eventually exchanged for flannel, our day of comfort was well maintained into the evening.
We're in the early hours of Sunday morning and there are plenty of naps taking place all around me. Faded blue jeans and a secondhand t-shirt have committed themselves to my day's fashion statement. A stack of selected vinyl await their turn to spin goodness at 33 and a 1/3rd and my coffee cup has once again promised to stay full all day. I’m not too sure what else I could ask for, so I won’t. It’s good to be with friends.
Perhaps removing expectations can sometimes deliver the greater return.