White Houses in a Row

I have a tiny obsession with reflections in water. Puddles. Ponds. Lakes. Anytime I see water you can bet that I am searching for a reflection. I blame photography for that. But I love how holding a camera has taught me see life differently, which brings me to the other day.

I date a man who absolutely loves to see a smile on my face. He understands that holding my camera and spending time with my pup rank pretty high on the list of things that make me happy. Last weekend, we spent most of our time walking. Morning walks. Mid-afternoon walks. Night walks. To reach a step goal that was set for the week. To get creative, we changed our usual walking route and headed towards a new subdivision that was under development. We set out to walk.  Camera in hand. Pups in tow. A warm coffee and a chai latte. We walked up and down the empty streets listening to the sounds of new developments being formed. As we walked past the small pond located in the beginning of the subdivision I caught the reflection in the corner of my eye. The reflection of the freshly completed houses. The stream of white houses all in a row.

I wish I could explain photographs and how they speak. I wish I could explain why one photograph moves you more than another. Or how one image can draw such emotion from a person.  Embodying all the thoughts that are taking place in your mind. I wish I could explain how photographs get you to stop. Actually stop and take a minute and really look. Then somehow they make you take the time to scribble down all the emotions that come to your mind on the notepad to the side. All the ideas that come. But I know that isn’t my job. I’m not meant to explain. I’m here to write down what comes to mind and let the words do what they need to do.

I have dreams of a home office. A big white desk. Very open with room to stretch my legs. Minimal objects on top. A laptop and maybe a notebook here or there. It would be a room with good lighting. Maybe over looking some water. Dark wooden floors. Light color on the walls. Very cozy. Very comfortable. Photographs scattered across the room telling a story of how far I have come. Showing how far life can take you when you give it the opportunity to do so. When you finally just ask. And seek. And knock. I have dreams of being a leader and role a model. A tiny part of me wants to see if I can change the world just a tiny bit. To leave it just a little better. Help someone. Inspire someone. Motivate someone. Just do something good. I have dreams of travel. Of seeing places that I have only dreamed about. I have dreams of stepping upon ground that I never thought my shoes would step foot on. Or ever feel beneath their soles. I have dreams of hearing words spoken in a language unbeknown to me and being engulfed by cultures I’ve only read about in books or seen in movies. I know I want to tackle all 50 states at one point in my life. To fall in love with a tiny part of each of their cultures even if it is only for a short seven days.

And I have no idea why, but I’m completely in love with this photograph and all it represents. The lighting from the sunrise. The reflections in the water. The reflections. When I was pausing to take this photograph that is what I wanted… the reflection. The duck posing, the ripple in the water, and the morning light… Those just all seemed to fall into play. The reflection though… That’s what spoke. That is what made me remember my dreams and what I want my future to encompass.

As I bent down to place my drink on the road, it was as though you could feel the new happening. And somehow feel the changing of the seasons. The seasons in your life. You could feel things shifting. You could feel it was different. Good. Content. And different. And it just made me want to close my eyes and capture the white houses in a row.