A Forrest Gump Moment

Yesterday I was driving to my monthly massage appointment.  I was cutting time kind of close, so I was not very happy to get stuck at the light at Old Baltimore Pike and Delaware Route 896. 

Now it was still July, my least favorite month of all next to January and was still very warm.  The air conditioning in the truck has inconveniently chosen this summer ( possibly the hottest on record) to give up the ghost.  Therefore, when I go it is with both windows in the down position.

While waiting for this interminable light to change, I noticed leaves fluttering across the hood of my vehicle.  Suddenly, a leaf floated into the truck through the driver side window and landed itself right in my lap.  I immediately thought of the movie Forrest Gump and how the bird's feather floated right down to him.

The vehicle in the lane next to me beeped his horn to get  my attention and rolled his window down so he could speak with me.  His words were"Hey! Just like in Forrest Gump, HUH?". I was kind of surprised that he made the same connection that I had.  No, I was QUITE surprised!

I waved back at him holding the leaf up to show that I had caught it and told him that great minds MUST run along the same lines.  We were still laughing when the light changed and we went our separate ways.

Now, I have a treasure box here at home.  It contains some rather strange stuff.  I have a smooth rock from the North East river and a piece of clear glass from the C&D canal. I do have a bird feather that appeared as if by magic on the walk at the courthouse right before me last week.  There are also some trinkets from childhood.  Now there is a leaf to be added to the collection. 

I do believe in signs, portents and things that make one go "HMMMMMMMMMMM!"  Everything happens for a reason, and the things that seem haphazard  mean that you are where you are supposed to be to get the message from the Universe.  I am finding recently, that there are events coming full circle in my life now that actually have their roots some 50 years ago.  The circles have swung so far out  that now they are closing. 

I find it a comforting feeling.  Gives me a sense of Oneness with the collective, if you will.  Laugh if you must, but believe that the feather and the rock and the leaf are now ensconced in my treasure box.  They will remain  there, coincidence or not.

VICTORIA AND ALBERT

I posted this  in response to a post on my daughter's blog.  She was riding public transit in Baltimore.

She noticed the unsolicited and selfless  attentions of an elderly man to his wife.

Ah, true love !  May it live forever in bright light and fairy dust!  ( to quote a friend)


Your post reminds me of the couple I saw on my first trip abroad in 1999. I hit the ground in England armed with an instiable appetite for history and a 35mm camera.

It was a glorious Saturday morning in the park on High Street. Kensington Palace fairly shone in the sun. I was soaking up local color and listening to the myriad of accents swirling round me.

Children were painting on the sidewalk or feeding the pigeons. The ubiquitous Brits were walking the ubiquitous British dogs.

There was an elderly couple seated on a park bench in the sunlight. They were well up in years and dressed as some English people do, in both hat and coat. her hat was fashionably out of fashion. Obviously, this was an occasion for them.

Occasionally, the gent would bend his head towards the white haired woman and gesture with his cane at some far off sight that he did not want her to miss.

She would tug affectionately on his coatsleeve to draw his attention to another sight to be seen. They were enjoying both one another's company the English sunshine and the impromptu entertainment..

I realized that they had seen so much of life and history. They had survived the War, seen the devastation of their city, lost loved ones in the rubble and experienced Hitler's hate up close and personal. They were survivors, still comfortable and even pleased with one another's company some 70+ years later.

As I watched them for a while, I suddenly realized that amidst all the other goings on in the park, this was the one scene I was MEANT to see.

Here was the picture that defined the whole experience for me. When I snapped the shutter I KNEW that wonderful as the shot was it lacked SOMETHING. I quickly blew on the lens to fog it ( it IS England after all) I waited while the haze cleared from the center of the lens outward. then I snapped again.

Since this was still film territory for me I had to wait until I got back home to see the results.

The result is the most fabulous picture I have ever taken, both from a technical standpoint and an aesthetic one. The lens is cleared jsut enough to see the subjects ( the couple) clearly. The rest is a hazy watercolor fantasy.

It still hangs in my living room on the England Wall. This is a testament to unconditional love.

I understand your perspective!