Cool lamp in a cool hotel

Shedding some light on the subject
Knoxville, TN
January 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Let's get this out of the way right here: I shoot weird things. Sorry. (I'm also Canadian, so...)

It's my way of dealing with Planet Earth and all the unpredictable stuff that happens on it. Some folks get me. Some don't. That's OK, too.

My latest example of weird is this desk lamp, found in, of all places, a hotel room in Knoxville, TN. Weird as it may seem, this seemingly unassuming light fixture, in this room, in this place, on this day, helped shape a moment that our little brood will likely remember for some time.

A few hours earlier, we had found a delightful hotel tucked away in a quiet corner of a city far from home. Rather, my wife had found it. From her phone. As I drove on a crowded, darkened highway.

Technology. Wonder. Serendipity. Whatever we call it, the universe seemed to want us to stop at this hotel. So we did.

The place was fairly new, and whoever designed it was given free rein to fill it with the kind of flourishes that made weary travellers smile. It's a little thing, but ultimately it isn't. Good design matters. So do smiles. Never forget that.

As we happily buzzed around the room in the morning, getting ready to leave this place behind on our way home, I zeroed in on the lamp. I can still hear the banter in my ears as I composed and shot. It was a good moment, a sign from the universe that dark chapters eventually end. Or maybe they continue on, but you keep finding flashes of light amid them.

I'm actually not entirely sure how that works. But as long as you keep looking for the light, then chances are you'll find your way through. Or maybe it's as long as the light continues to find you.

Whatever the case, there was light in this place, and I didn't want to forget what it felt like before we continued on our journey.

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