“I need a new habit. Or maybe just a different verb. Ponder is a nice one, reminiscent of, well, a pond. It sounds peaceful. I will fold my hands, take up pondering. Still water, full of life.”
—Abigail Thomas, Confessions of an 80-Year-Old Barbarian
I love this quote from Abigail Thomas. (Thank you to Helen McLaughlin for introducing me to Abigail’s writing.)
I think that pondering goes nicely with another of my favorite activities, noticing.
In a lively conversation with my friend Kate this morning, we talked about how to answer that very difficult question, “What kind of photographer are you?” Clearly, there is no easy answer for folks like us. At the heart of the matter, we simply take pictures of all that we notice, what catches our eye or tugs at our heart. What makes us laugh or makes us mad. What we feel deeply. Things that are silly and things that are serious. People we love and those unknown. Nature and what is left behind. Everything we notice.
Noticing and pondering seem to go hand-in-hand. I’m declaring it art.