I had the best of intentions this morning. I was gonna go on a quick run before the big dinner, I really was. As I began the run, I was listening to a podcast and one of the folks being interviewed mentioned how the media, depending on which outlet or network, can deliver the same bit of news with either disdain or celebration. On one TV network, a decision by the President-Elect is hailed as a stroke of genius but on a different network, the same act is cited as a portent of doom. That realization sent me into some heavy thoughts.

Avoiding politics, I'll say that it's a matter of perspective, of course. An ugly thing to one person is a mark of beauty to another. where there were lines in the curbs, humps in the sidewalks where roots had grown, and overgrown shrubbery, instead of mess and disorder, I saw a type of symmetry and beauty.

As I looked around more, I saw the sharp contrasts of the shadows, the shapes of walls where they met the grassline, and how some branches of a bush caught light a little more crisply because of their angle.

Within a wall of green, I saw a dozen different shades of the mother color, each unique, and upon an already character-rich wall, I saw the lines where graffiti had been applied and where the pressure washer had eyched into the wall to remove it.

With the heavy thoughts in my head, (Ok, not that heavy. Deep maybe.) my run quickly devolved into a walk. I couldn't help but notice the things around me. Yes, it's a lovely neighborhood with many cool homes, but what caught my eyes and attention were the shapes and colors and contrast.

There are many times that I can go on my runs and walks and keep my focus on the podcasts. I won't pretend that running is fun, so I like being able to have something to concentrate on while burning up a few miles. Today wasn't one of those days. Today, I noticed all the curves and angles in the buildings and all the shapes and dimensions of the gates and signs. If you're in the mood to see things, they're there waiting for you to notice. If you want to see them as good, you may. If you want to see them as bad, you may ... but it's up to your perspective and desires.

But perhaps, by looking at or for beauty, we're getting into a bigger problem.

What if, by being so aware of the smaller or lesser known things, we're subconsciously avoiding the bigger, more important issues? Fiddling while Rome burns or rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Those are two, old phrases that come to mind. What if we're missing the wider world and its important issues by focusing on small things? Sure, lesser-seen items and people have value but wouldn't one's efforts, wouldn't MY efforts be better spent doing something of greater value like fighting cancer or some equally important social cause? Am I being selfish by noticing things that don't matter?

Hard to say! I'm not really looking for answers to these big questions. I'm merely sharing some of the thoughts I had today as I walked. I don't feel guilty for seeing or noticing these things. They're small and, some would say, meaningless but to me, that may give them more value. I've felt unwanted, ugly or underappreciated at times but I know that I have inherent worth. Everyone does.

I do so enjoy taking pictures of objects and things. The bulk of my work for the theater is of cast and crew members doing their thing and often being people other than themselves so capturing these stationary, everyday items is a refreshing way to "see things" again. Perhaps, without leaving the comfort of shooting what I've been shooting, I'll try to find a way of blending my portrait work with my capturing of realness.

Hmmm. Stay tuned!

The Shape of Things - A Walk in San Antonio