I am still sending letters. 🙂
Hello again Friend,
I hope that you are keeping busy and staying well in these exceptional pandemic times. I am trying to keep active in my house with my treadmill and am growing many new vegetables outside in my garden. While I am spending quiet time with my plants, I often wonder what others are doing in their homes or gardens or going for their daily exercise in their surrounds. I imagine there are a lot of puzzles being made these days.
This thoughtful state reminds me of a photo that I took last year. I had a long-time friend visiting me while he was traveling through for work. I planned to take him out to see the famous Stonehenge. We arrived early and still were among a large crowd while we made our way around the awe-inspiring stones. After lunch, I had the idea to take him to a quieter but equally wonderful set of stones – Avebury.
We arrived to a much smaller crowd. It was such a more relaxed and enjoyable experience. I set up to photograph these stones but had to wait for a group of school children to leave. While I waited, lying on my belly on the ground behind my low mounted tripod, everyone left…except this man. He was lost in thought and I realized that he was the photo I was waiting for. It was a beautifully serendipitous moment.
I will never see this man again and in fact, wouldn’t even know if I did, but I am grateful to him for this gift. When I hold this photo in my hands, it reminds me that there are many people in our lives like this – strangers who in some way meaningfully touch our lives. This thought brings me comfort. I hope it will for you too.
Fondly,
Athena
