I am in awe of Scott Stossel's book on anxiety and find his research, personal narrative and insight brilliant. I too have experienced my share of anxiety and so his writing has been revelatory for me. I don't typically seek anxiety producing situations, but one black hole for me can be a library book that is overdue. Every minute that it sits in my house past it's due date I feel an odd pressure until a larger worry surfaces due to my inertia. (Along with racking up fines- which is its own kind of wanton excess at .25 per day- but I digress.) Sometimes a purchase is the way to go in the end.
Our daughter Nora needed a ride on Saturday to Simsbury, Ct. to connect with a classmate and get a ride back to Burlington, Vermont. After we left her, we stopped for gas, and James noticed an automatic carwash on the property. The balmy temperatures inspired a lot of our fellow drivers which meant a lengthy wait in line for service. We passed the time listening to NPR and checking out the other cars. Another item off the to-do list.
My friend Joyce recently posted on Facebook an image of her cute self from her elementary school days, and it sent me on a treasure hunt to find a portrait I took of her in the 80's. Sometimes, the fact that I managed to archive so much of my work gives me hope that I am better organized than I often imagine myself to be. As I searched, memories surfaced of moments experienced with a camera and the many special people I've had the chance to study through my lens.
I photographed a wonderful event Sunday for
the Westchester Library System, which featured spoken word with the author and musician James McBride, as well as performances by McBride and his quintet, The Good Lord Bird Gospel Band. The author read from his recent novel The Good Lord Bird, winner of the 2013
National Book Award for Fiction.
McBride created a riveting atmosphere of narrative, history, and detail and the quintet played
spirituals with a captivating mix of soul, rock, country and jazz. I was
thrilled to have the chance to observe them through my camera.
(The musicians included Keith Robinson on guitar, Trevor Exter on bass, Show Tyme Brooks on drums, Adam Faulk on piano, McBride on saxophone and the whole band on vocals. Great!!)
For those of us who reside on the east coast, it's been a long winter. Emphasis on the long. So, in the spirit of hoping for what has yet to arrive, with the knowledge that the globe is constantly turning and ultimately, that winter will progress in to spring, I share an image that harkens to warmer temperatures, sunshine and flowers even as we await another 6-12 inches of the fluffy white stuff on Monday. (and not on a weekend day, but another school day, meaning yet another snow day....!)
