Truly On A Sunday

What the hell is happening to me?  I got up super early on a Sunday morning to go shoot photos of the parking lot that stains my view from my living room window.  Henry asked us to shoot something that we normally don’t see with love and to photograph it with our hearts.  So I choose the parking lot.  Before even stepping outside I already had a vision in my head of what these photos would look like, but boy was I taken by surprise by what followed next.  It was early and it was quiet.  Except for the symphony of birds that serenaded me as I walked mesmerized by how the morning sunlight was transforming this sea of tar, automobiles, and lonely olive trees.  But here’s the thing — I didn’t see the scene with love right away.  I was looking at it with a goal of shooting something pretty.  I know that.  But as I walked around looking — I started to remember the night my water broke while watching Forrest Gump.  How at 2am Hansel and I walked and walked that parking lot waiting for our little guy to make his arrival.  I remembered all the hours I spent pushing that chubby little baby in his stroller.  And I could still see him wobbling around holding his walker and how excited he would get over the rocks, sticks, and leaves he found scattered on the ground.  All of a sudden I became overwhelmed with love for that sidewalk, that parking lot, those droopy olive trees, the rusty carport covers, even the cigarette butts started to seem sacred.  But when I got home and looked at the photos I wasn’t impressed.  It didn’t express the love that I was feeling.  They looked stale and static and empty, to be honest.  So I decided to just let it go.  Hit delete. Maybe try again tomorrow or save this prompt for another day.  And then, tonight, Phoenix was playing outside with his friend — riding his scooter back and forth.  I walked down stairs with my phone in hand to tell him it was time for dinner and as he rode joyfully towards me, I saw it.  I saw what I was looking for appear effortlessly — and I quickly turned on my phone and got it.  This is the photo that truly expresses my love.