Project 365, 2007: March Retrospective
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Project 365, 2007: March Mosaic, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
March 2007 won't be a month I'll ever forget, as it's the month my mother died. It's been a month of deep sadness, of intense introspection, of keen observation. It seems I had much to do. All these things to do, however, were not external events, but mostly internal actions: thinking, deciding, remembering, considering, forgiving, accepting, rejecting, planning, praying, crying, standing, standing strong. Through all this introspection and soul work, I've been (possibly) more creative than I've been in quite some time. Many of the images this month depict life, death, birth, newness, energy, growth, of beauty in very unexpected places. There are images of things that brought me peace and comfort, and near the end of the month, I could see a little of my humor return. The photographs depict my grief and my (early) recovery.
It's confirming to see these images and know all the emotions that went on around them. It's pleasing to recognize, too, that each image-- while representing the significant events of the month (and in many ways, my life)-- also represented each of the 31 days of March. I took pictures each day, and I was able to focus my perspective on the world outside myself. My limiting my sight to what I could see in the camera's viewfinder, I could settle and calm myself. I didn't feel quite so overwhelmed. I'm reminded of the famous Anne Lamott line from Bird by Bird about using a one-inch frame to focus writing. Instead of writing in generalities, she states, the frame forces you to focus writing on a small part of the text. The more focused writing is more compelling and interesting. I think it's true in photography, too.
By taking photos each day, I see my skill level rise. Of course, this is true of anything that I'd make the time to do each day, but it's another reminder to write each day, to photograph each day, to think, laugh, cry, forgive, accept, remember each day. Each day.
90/365: Ball!
Ball!, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
89/365: Blogging at the 'bucks
Blogging at the 'bucks, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
88/365: Beyonce and the Academy: Making Copies
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Beyonce and the Academy: Making Copies, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
87/365: Buttons o' Bruce
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Buttons o' Bruce, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
86/365: If One Duck is Good, then Two are Better
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
If One Duck is Good, then Two are Better, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
85/365: The Flowers Keep Coming
Monday, March 26, 2007
Chrysanthemum Petals (The Flowers Keep Coming), originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
84/365: My Life Isn't All Tiaras and Tea Parties
Sunday, March 25, 2007
My Life Isn't All Tiaras and Parties, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
83/365: Soccer Competitors
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Soccer Competitors, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
82/365: Parker (at 3 days old)
Friday, March 23, 2007
Parker, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
81/365: Along theCountry Road: Wildflowers
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Along the Country Road: Wildflowers, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
80/365: Lily
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Lily, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
79/365: Starbucks Still Life (Found Art)
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Starbucks Still Life, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
78/365: Building's Windows
Monday, March 19, 2007
Building's Windows, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
77/365: Woman at Water Gardens
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Woman at Water Gardens, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
76/365: My Mother's Painting
Saturday, March 17, 2007
My Mother's Painting, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
My mother began teaching herself to paint in 1977. She painted this scene in 1990. To offer some scale, this painting is about 4' square. This was hers; now it's mine. (Mollie Rodgers Queen: August 8, 1939 -- March 6, 2007)
75/365: Tattoos on the Korean Clerk's Hands
Friday, March 16, 2007
Tattoos on the Korean Clerk's Hands, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
The store clerk told me all about her tattoos. She's had them seven years, and she puts lotion on them everyday. She has also had them (re)inked so the color won't fade. I admire her.
74/365: Two Windows
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Two Windows, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
When I was 12, my family and I lived in a house on Wheeler Ave. I found that house today-- abandoned and very very old, lived in by many people. I walked through the house, remembering who I was as a young girl, my family at the time and who we were together. These days-- today-- I strive to remember the good. These two windows were in a room I shared with my younger sister. I think that truck was there before, too. . . a very long time ago. (More Wheeler Ave. photos are on Flickr.)
73/365: Texas Sunset and Baseball Fence
Texas Sunset and Baseball Fence, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
72/365: Teaching Her to Knit
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Teaching Her to Knit, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
71/365: Imprints
Monday, March 12, 2007
Imprints, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
Others have come before us; others will follow us. Evidence abounds.
70/365: Courage and Grace: Holding Hands in Texas
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Courage and Grace: Holding Hands in Texas, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
69/365 (b): Growing Gummy Bears
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Growing Gummy Bears, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
Even before they are ripe for the picking, these gummy bears are anatomically correct . . . especially the green ones.
69/365 (a): Gummy Bear Bush
Gummy Bear Bush, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
Poor Gummy Bears. In New York, they freeze to death. In Delaware, they fall to their demise, then the remaining gummies perform in a conga line as some sort of celebration/grief. In Georgia, well, they become part of multigummyism. At least their end is quick (microwaves are quick, right?). In some place I don't know and in Oaklandia and in the "Land of Trees," the poor Gummies are stretched and prodded and squished and pricked with sharp objects. Ok, in Boston, they get to read, and some pose as art, but still.
Gummy Bears should just stay in Texas where they thrive. Here, they even grow on trees.
68/365: Life and Death
Friday, March 9, 2007
Life and Death, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
Things are never as dark as they seem.
67/365: Water and Sunlight: Elements of Healing
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Water and Sunlight, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
66/365: It's Buried Deep Inside
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
65/365: The Top of the Fountain
This is Tuesday's picture, but I took it today. The picture says a lot.
64/365: It's tightly wound
It's tightly wound, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
This is Monday's picture, although I took it today. The picture says a lot.
63/365: Wet Ducks at Night
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Wet Ducks, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
62/365: Chain-link Fence
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Chain-link Fence, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
61/365: Isaiah 41:10
Friday, March 2, 2007
Isaiah 41:10, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
Tonight we agreed to a DNR for our mother. While I am, legally, my mother's next of kin and the one who authorizes medical procedures for her, my sisters and I made the DNR decision together. Afterwards, they each went home to husbands who could comfort them and tell them the decision was an appropriate one . . . that they should not feel guilty as the decision was based on reason and fact, not emotion. I very rarely think about being remarried, connected in that way. Until tonight.
60/365: Plant in Sun (backlit)
Thursday, March 1, 2007
