bits and pieces of january

"Well, I can’t eat muffins in an agitated manner. The butter would probably get on my cuffs.
One should always eat muffins quite calmly. It is the only way to eat them."

Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

January was full of magical light, time spent with family, and a birthday celebration for our now five year old. I purposely pulled myself inward, working on ways I might quiet my life down, and explored ways I might fill the empty dark spaces lingering inside me with more meaning, and more self refection. I contemplated this space constantly. Questioning the worthiness of my words and images. Wondering if they speak to anyone else but me? Wondering if that even matters? I hauled myself out of rabbit holes, did my best to turn my back on mindless internet/phone strolling, and started removing myself from tons of unwanted emails from websites I no longer want (which is proving harder than I imagined). I took time to clean all my camera lenses and updated the firmware. I watched a few movies, took a few naps, talked photography with a friend, and relished in those new found moments, when I had nothing I needed to do. Oh, and I made muffins.

***

“Anyhow, the older I get, the less impressed I become with originality. These days, I’m far more moved by authenticity. Attempts at originality can often feel forced and precious, but authenticity has quiet resonance that never fails to stir me.”

― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

It feels a little bit like a fresh start.

***

The kitchen, without doubt, was the center of creation, all things revolved about it; it was the pediment that sustained the temple.
~ Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury


Dinner and football.

***

“You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

― Ansel Adams

***

We wake to frost and empty bird feeders!

“That’s the gift of winter: it’s irresistible. Change will happen in its wake, whether we like it or not. We can come out of it wearing a different coat.”

― Katherine May, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

Another frosty morning, outlining every detail. I slip outside, bundled up against the cold, thankful for a few moments alone to relish in the deep silence.

***