This compact assumption of my adopted history is guarded between the sticky film sheets of the photo album holding it. When let loose of its covers, it balances between fingertips. Something special allows unpredictable emotions to come into play, and awakens the ability to roam freely around the evidence. Each time I interact with these memories, I am sent forth, pulled back, or simply made to embrace the current season. The worldviews preserved, for my curiosity had been passed down; this depiction was left for me to look back upon.

He stands calmly amidst a flock of birds on a quiet corner somewhere in France; eyes embarking on abstracted treasures. Though I have no sense of the ‘70s feel, I see this moment of coexistence as one of the greatest ever. Light pierces through buildings; contrasting detail is made apparent by the warmth I see. As this man’s child I was constantly aware of his sufferings. But when I metaphorically stand in his shoes, only his pleasure becomes real to me.

As I tune into the sounds of the solitude, the flapping wings of the jumpy pigeons which surround me echo throughout the courtyard. I extend my arm into a sweet breeze in order to embrace them, and dissolve the differences between us in the calm that we’re creating. Peace is felt by the one that has left behind to continue journeying the world. When the legacy leaves the one gone is remembered. These messages, held by two dimensions, leak out to merge with me here in the third.

Today, bite-sized pictures ripple the face of the digital earth in a matter of minutes. Whether future generations find meaning in our self-predicted destinies or even through a glimpse of our mediocre lives refuel my forgotten questions. What has been my purpose? What do I leave behind for those after me to see?

It wasn’t known how far these images would travel throughout both time and space, yet decades on they have maintained to hold conversations with my intimate beliefs. The extent of the steps taken to be present on the scene can only be imagined. The clues don’t unlock endless tranquillity; although that would be an achievement of a lifetime.

I realize that life takes course as it does for me to discover a direction…

Sources provide existing possibilities and knowing that alone extends those options to one. That to me has been a reminder of the gift of choice, and to have it is truly something special.