Monday, July 06, 2020

Why I keep returning to Boston

Windows to a not-quite-vanished past
Boston, MA
April 2006
This photo originally shared on Instagram

I've been slowly flipping through the archives lately, looking for photos that bring me comfort.

I do that often these days, a semi-automatic response to turbulence, a silent attempt to find beauty in memory when it may otherwise be difficult to find it in real-time.

Architecture often seems to offer up the right kind of comfort to me. I look at scenes like this and imagine the stories playing out behind each window.

I think about the timelessness of architecture, the ability of these very same structures to outlive those who built them, to stand witness not just to today, but to a whole lot of tomorrows, as well.

And I imagine slinging my camera over my shoulder and heading out for another grand optical adventure in search of monolithic scenes like this that make me feel grounded amid groundlessness.

Because we all need anchors to hold onto. Even when they're little more than snapshots of moments lived years ago in places far away, when everything seemed just a little simpler than they do today.

#boston #throwback #random #urban #street #photography #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins #family #everything

2 comments:

bridge said...

Can identify with many of the comments you made in this post. I empathize with all the problems you've had with your first name, because I have had many with mine as well (my February 7, 2012 https://www.leithpeterson.ca post discusses this). Congratulations on your inspiring blog.

carmilevy said...

@bridge: So glad you're enjoying the site! As much as I wished for a more common name when I was a child, in adulthood I've come to appreciate being a little more unique. It helps me easily determine who I should focus on and who I shouldn't.