DouceLifeAt50.com

It is by sorting and organizing my photos that I rediscover moments that were either exciting, joyful or tearful.  My photos make very good mementoes. They represent what catches my eye, what interests me and what fuels my creativity.  By sharing the photos that inspire me, I share facets of my life, they are like little stained glass windows that illuminate those moments when I was really present, a kaleidoscope of memories.

My goal is always to find interesting angles because often we don’t pay attention to details. It was these details that inspired me to have some photos enlarged and framed so that I can see them around me.  It was while framing the photo of the Eiffel Tower that I noticed all the intersecting beams and the light bulbs that make it twinkle at night. This framing of the Eiffel Tower made me reflect on its creation and construction. How many people participated in its creation?  Not only the workers who worked to erect it, but also all the invisible hands who supported and helped them. The chain is long, it connects the moment of the conception of the project until its end and continues today for those who visit this monument. I took this picture 4 years ago, but waited until now to have it printed and framed.  More and more I want my environment to reflect my creativity, more and more I trust my instincts and my ideas. I find myself through these photos, they send me back my own reflection, my photographic eye translates my way of seeing the world.  These photos give me a sense of accomplishment and that feeling gives me a sense of being part of an interesting world.  They make me feel connected to the rest of the world. This feeling of belonging came little by little for me. The more I reflected within, the more I got to know myself, the more I discovered what made me feel helpless to make things better in the world. It was while working on myself that I discovered that it is not necessary to start at the other end of the world, that I could start with myself and those around me. As a consumer I have the power to change certain things that affect me directly, thus strengthening the links that connect me to the rest of the human world.

These invisible links connect us from the past to the present, it is a living human chain that has changed over the centuries. These links are always present, we are all part of a beautiful global giant necklace. These links brought me everything that is part of my environment. Someone helped create my familiar items. When we think of this great human chain, a chair is not just a chair, a zipper that I close, the salad that I mix, the fork that I put in my mouth, the toilet that I flush, the garbage bag that I drop off are all part of a connected web. Hands I don’t know have been there before they came to my house and other hands are taking over to make my life easier and more comfortable. The world is supported by every little living link. To be human is to be part of an infinite chain, we are all connected by unknown, invisible links that support us from the beginning or our lives to the end of our stay on earth. These links are important, our choices, our decisions have the power to affect our surroundings and our environment, being human is a great responsibility.  We are the guardians of our little corner. Every choice we make, every word we share has an effect on us, those around us or our environment.  We are all responsible for maintaining the ties that bind us, let’s not weaken them by our inconsideration, our lack of interest, our lack of thoughtfulness, our words and our choices.  Let’s not break those precious bonds which are the best traits that prove our humanity.  Let’s not waste our time criticizing the way of life of “others”, let’s not impose our ideas, our way of seeing things on “others” because humanity is a mixture of ideals, cultures, sounds, languages and above all of beating hearts.  Being human is both simple and complicated, we are more powerful than we think. By taking our life in hand, by choosing to improve or help the links that are close to us, we can change an environment or ideals that no longer serve anyone. It takes the full force of the chain to keep the world vibrant and healthy. The choice is ours, maintain the quality of the chain or let it rust by our actions and words.

“Age brings wisdom” is a very appropriate expression, in my case it means all the things I can leave behind, all the objects I dreamed of that no longer matter to me.  With age I realize the real values in my life, a good relationship with my family, my friends, my work colleagues, all the moments spent with the people who left us. Since I became aware of the imprint that marks my passage and that my choices are important to me, I feel connected to the rest of humanity.  I’ve always been an optimist, but now feeling those connections gives me a sense of hope that propels me forward.