Archive for October, 2017
Losing My Voice and Choosing Quiet
Tuesday, October 24th, 2017
I spent last week at home with a fever and sore throat. This meant I slept through most of the early part of the week. I had strange dreams and memories come and go. I had to rest. And be quiet. And rest some more. By mid-week, my fever broke and I lost my voice. I couldn’t speak. Everything felt strained. As my quietness deepened, I took an inventory of all the times I lost my voice.
When did my voice become a whisper?
What silences me?
Where is my voice in the world?
I had a lot of time to meditate. I took time to notice the places of not being heard. I listened for what rises up within me from silence.
Daily silent meditation brought a few insights:
I am curious about when my voice becomes a shout and when it is a voice of clarity.
I am still learning to sift through the noise and listen to the vibration of sounds.
I am open to hearing my own voice – quiet, clear, and full of love and peace.
I am attuned to moments when I choose quiet and when I feel silenced.
Now, more questions arise:
When do I lose my voice?
And what brings it back?
Are the whispers of my heart ready to be heard?
Maybe we all need to lose our voice to truly discover what need to be voiced.
“Hey Irish”
Tuesday, October 3rd, 2017
My father-in-law, Don, had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh. He would come up with funny names and phrases. I was no exception. My nickname from Don when he was calling me was, “Hey Irish.”
Don was an incredible photographer. He not only took wonderful pictures, but also kept detailed notes on the back of them. He always tracked who, where, and when the photos were taken. He had an amazing eye for taking pictures. Don had been a part-time wedding and newspaper photographer when his children were growing up.
In the late 90’s, Don realized how much of an interest I had in photography and he offered some advice on how to frame photos using various viewpoints. He taught me how to see with a new lens. It’s not easy – seeing with a new lens. He liked to show me how to breakdown the parts of a picture: the foreground, the main view and the background. See the whole thing. When he showed me how to capture an image or a person, he would often advise me to see the whole picture – take in the whole scene. Don wanted me to see more than the photograph I wanted to take. Rather, his advice was often about opening myself up to the larger view, the larger lens, and the larger frame.
I have taken many photos for the past 20 years with new eyes thanks to my father-in-law’s wisdom of seeing through new eyes and a new lens. And now when I photograph a moment using his technique of viewing, framing, and capturing, I always think of him. He was a good teacher.
I don’t think I ever got the chance to say thank you. Don, thank you – I see the world with a bigger lens because of you.
Love, Irish