Wednesday, January 01, 2025

The darkness returns only if we allow it

Focus on the helper
London, ON
January 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This is what the eighth night of Chanukah looks like in our house and in so many others.

There’s a certain sense of bitterness associated with this night, because it represents a culmination of sorts - the brightest it’s going to get - and an ending, as tomorrow night there will be darkness.

Long after the candles burn down for the last time, I’ll often flip back to the imagery of this night, the photos and memories reminding me to seek the light and shine it on - and for - others no matter what the calendar might say.

Chanukah isn’t considered one of Judaism’s so-called major holidays, but its story - miraculously overcoming impossible odds to survive and thrive - feels like it deserves a bigger platform.

Because the world was dark when an outgunned group of Jewish defenders prevailed over an overwhelming force, and it’s dark now in ways that echo our turbulent history. A holiday that celebrates light feels like an appropriate thing to hold onto for the entire year.

So I will. And I hope I won’t be the only one.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #chanukah #hannukah #howeveritisspelled #jewish #holiday #stilllife #photography #apple #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

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Resolve not to resolve

At least it looks sweet
London, ON
December 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

We often wish others a sweet new year, because to some of us sugar seems to be the universal ingredient for a life well lived. At least it is in the movies, if not in nutrition textbooks.

I like my treats just as much as anyone, so I definitely won’t disagree with this admittedly kind, well-intentioned tradition. I can always put on a few extra kilometres on the bike to burn off the sugar.

But there’s always a but with me, and the back story of this image might help explain.

See, these cupcakes LOOK like the very embodiment of sweetness, arranged in perfect, colour-correct order just inside the store entrance. I could stand there all day and take in their perfection.

Yet they come with a small warning sign just off to the side: for display purposes only, not for purchase or consumption. It’s so tiny, in fact, that it’s easy to miss.

And as I stare at an ideal visual that in reality is far from ideal, I wonder about all the other messages we consume that suggest one thing, but deliver quite another.

We’re all ultimately selling something, whether it’s a store-bought cupcake or ourselves. It couldn’t hurt to keep that in mind, as not everything is always as it seems.

And we might want to think twice before we take that first bite.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #grocery #store #loblaws #dessert #shopping #retail #stilllife #photography #apple #iphone #iphone16 #shotoniphone

Related:
Late night cake shoot, September 2022
Macaron madness, July 2022
Let them eat... July 2006

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