Smiles & Other Thoughts

I recently had a beer with an old friend. We talked about life, relationships, love, family, and other such familiarities. It was great. It was nostalgic. I sometimes loose sight of why nostalgia is so sweet. Certainly this happens when I have been in my home town for too long. Whenever things become regular, my desire to think back, to remember, disappears or at least lessens.

Now one would think that this is not such a bad thing. Not being able to think back should imply that one is thinking or moving forward. Sometimes this is true. But sometimes, reflection will inspire a creative drive that empowers my ability to overcome past failures or recreate past pleasures. Often when I have trouble reflecting I become stagnant. I wait. I plan. I make excuses.

Nostalgia reminds me not only why I take pictures...but HOW I take pictures. The best pictures - whether they be of a flower, a toy truck, or a dying child - are great because they brew emotion. Nostalgia does the same thing. Being able to think back to past emotions help develop new visions. New visions of old emotions.

So... I apologize if you are victim to my relentless attempts to discuss, remember, and reflect on the past. I know, it gets old. But I like it. It makes me smile and helps push that smile into future thoughts.