I took these photos a while back and couldn't decide which frame I liked better, the one with the woman's face hidden, or the one in which it is visible. In the first, the man looks as he might in a Norman Rockwell painting, the way he's bent over, his expression, but I like seeing the woman's face, too. We were at a rooftop bar downtown with a spectacular 360 degree view of the city. I thought I was shooting the skyline, but was struck by the different realities coexisting in the foreground of the picture, separated by a thin pane of glass. The couple outside seems lighthearted and touristy, engaged with each other and the world, while the man inside seems lost in dark thoughts, as if he carries a great weight on his polo-clad shoulders. He looks privileged, yet so unhappy. Such burdens we humans bear. Mine are perhaps less weighty in this moment, at least in the foreground (there's still a painful situation playing out in the background, at a distance, which doesn't help). It's Friday. I'm at loose ends. I don't start back working on the book till the end of the month, when the team is supposed to meet in DC to debrief on editors' responses to the proposal and come up with guiding principles for the narrative. Why can't I ever decide what to do with myself in these work lulls? I realize it's a gift to have a whole month to do with as I please, and what am I doing? Not much at all. I'm kind of sick of myself actually. I feel like the brooding man inside, privileged in my own way, yet unable to unwrap the gift. What I really need is to become like the couple outside, engaged, sunlit, free.
I love these pictures. They remind me of someone on a train as the world goes by. I do so wonder what was going on in that man's life. You're right- he looks so heavy in his soul.
ReplyDeleteAs time passes, I find it more and more difficult to be that young couple outside. I was thinking today that I didn't used to worry about everything, even when there was everything to worry about!
ReplyDeleteI like both photos. I wish I knew how to have fun. The only time I do have fun is when I with little kids. I hope you find something enjoyable to fill your month:)
ReplyDeleteThat's such a wonderful shot, 37p.
ReplyDeleteP. S. Maybe what you need to do in your time off is NOTHING. I came to that conclusion for myself just recently, after not getting anything on my To Do list done, on my time off, for several days running. I just needed to do nothing, and now, days later, I feel so much better for it. The trick is not to feel guilty while you're doing it :)
ReplyDeleteI like the one in which her face is visible. They look so happy! The city looks positively ethereal in the background. Enjoy your time off, soon you'll be up to your collar bones in busy, so rest up for it.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE both of these photos so much. Such multi-dimensional photos. Truly beautiful. Ah, what to do with all that time on your hands? You have a great eye, my friend, go out and take more photos of the world you see.
ReplyDeleteI like the second one better, it gives a better idea of their mood. it's a great shot for so many reasons, the seemingly pensive guy inside and the smiling couple outside, the dark interior vs the bright outdoors. a study in contrasts. I wonder what the man inside is thinking. probably something completely mundane and that's just his resting face.
ReplyDeleteThe first one has an element of mystery to it, in contrast with the crisp clarity of the photograph. That's why I like it best.
ReplyDeleteAs of October 16, I will have been retired for two years. Today while driving home from meeting with a group of friends for breakfast, I had the sense that I am just beginning to learn to live with a modicum of harmony in life as it unfolds with minimal structure and yet filled with purpose and possibility in the midst of increasing challenges. Throughout my life, whenever I was free to use my time in any way I chose I was unable to do the things I thought I would do if I had the time. I found myself unsettled, paralyzed. Not sure what that was about, but I experienced it again and again. It seems that, against my will, all I could do was what was necessary or nothing. Maybe, as someone commented, what I needed to do during those times was rest. I felt free to do anything except rest.
Sending love, my friend. May you be engaged, sunlit, free and truly rested in these days before you go forward with the work you love.
Amazing shots, both of them. I see three different worlds, the man sitting down is world 1, the coiple is world 2 and the skyline is world 3. All three appear completely unrelated and unconnected until you see the sky.
ReplyDeleteI like the man in front best. But then I'm a moody person. He reminds me of a Hopper painting. The glass in front. His hands placed just so and the look on his face begging for interpretation.
ReplyDeleteYou're not alone in not knowing what to do in your "down" time. I'm the same way. I wind up visiting libraries and coffee shops and doing a lot of people watching...and eating (not the most useful activity for me, as I've suddenly gained a significant amount of weight). Too much alone time. Some of this time I spend writing to myself, which I usually destroy in the end. But at the time it is a comforting thing to do.
Remarkable photos, and I can't decide which I like "best." They kind of look cool one on top of the other, to tell you the truth. Hmmmmm.
ReplyDeleteI think while you're waiting, you should fly out to California and visit your old friend Elizabeth.
I like the one where the woman's face is hidden, the entire scene is rather mysterious, with hidden stories. It reminds me of an Edward Hopper painting, and I see someone else mentioned that too. Enjoy your waiting time.
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