Foolish gibberish
I saw this new release, “Why Poetry” by Matthew Zapruder, as I was ordering books for the library and thought it looked interesting. I am hoping it will give me motivation to write! I’m about three chapters in and so far I like it.
That’s really all I have to say about that. I have a really bad cold my brain refuses to work properly. All I can think about is curling up on my couch and sleeping. I’ll give a better review when I am capable of forming better words together into better sentences.
Today’s image is a shot of Oregon City from the top of the Municipal Elevator. This is a favorite spot of mine for photography, and someday perhaps I will post a blog with all of the pinhole photos I’ve taken of this view.
I shot this with a Terrapin Box Turtle (3d printed by The Schlem. You can print one yourself here. Or buy one here). Film used was Ektar 100. I developed this myself using the Cinestill C-41 kit.
I was at my meditation group last night, listening to our teacher talk about the 4 noble truths. As she was talking I had an insight.
You have probably heard of the 4 Noble Truths. They are a central teaching of Buddhism. When I first encountered Buddhism this is how they were presented:
I liked this practical list very much because I wanted to find a way out of my suffering. But it took me a long time to realize I couldn’t get off so easily. The fact that I wanted to find a way out of my suffering was causing me suffering. Hence the 2nd Noble Truth.
The key is to turn inward and accept the suffering. Maybe even honor it. For me it was the grief over losing my stepdad. It was so unbearably painful to watch him die and I wanted to feel anything but that pain. But, instead, I really needed to feel the pain. I needed to accept it and feel it. And, indeed, in accepting it and moving through it, I found my way out of it.
So the insight last night for me was that suffering is part of the path.
I dug out my old photo albums to see what treasures are in there and I found a few! I am pretty certain I took this photo. I remember this trip to Portland when I was a youngster and I specifically remember taking photos on this trip. It was one of our many trips to PDX to visit our friends and family (we drove from Spokane). Also, I think the goofy expressions on the subjects are a big giveaway that another kid took this photo.
My younger brother is in the middle and our neighborhood friends are on either side. They had either moved to Portland or we traveled with them to visit their family (whom we were also friends with).
I honestly am not sure what year this was taken. Sometime in the mid 70s. I am a year old than my brother and he looks to be about age 7 in this photo?
I remember during this trip I walked over to the corner convenience store to buy candy. I feel like I was alone. That doesn’t seem right, but I guess this was a different time. Anyway, I was at this convenience store and the clerk asked me why I wasn’t in school, very sternly. It scared me so I hustled out of the store. I felt really bad, like this person thought I was a hoodlum or something, and I didn’t want this person to think that I was a bad person. So it made me feel bad. God, the complicated emotions of kids are weird.
Anyway, we were on Spring Break that week. That’s why I wasn’t in school.
Blatherskite 