COFFEE

I've found that sometimes just when you're settling into life, something comes along to spice things up. I think the World gets a kick out of keeping us on our toes. You settle into a routine, your days become rather predictable, the world looses some of it's magic and enchantment. For me, I look back on old contact sheets and journals and think "I was so inspired! Everything seemed so new! Every strangers face had a story and I wanted to hear about it. Little kids dancing caught my eye. Seeing two people ride the train obviously on their first date tickled my heart". Now I usually walk head down, headphones on, rushing to and from work, paying little attention to anything but the task at hand- commuting. Avoiding eye contact with strangers. Getting home and cooking. Reading blogs and looking at Flickr. Spending time with my family and bunnies. Tackling my to-do list which is getting increasingly long.

Then one day while you're riding the train to work, it jerks a little...squeezing the cup of coffee you're holding in between your knees while you dig around your bag for your headphones into the air. A coffee geyser forms, exploding all over your favorite brown skinny cords. Dripping into your new pink ballet flats. Just like that. Hot. Coffee. Cream and sugar. A L L  O V E R you. On the train. The girl decked out in North Face sitting across from you looks away. The people down the train glance over and get back to their Reader. You're left feeling humiliated. Scorched. Alone. Helpless. Then the old man with the ragged old suitcase stuffed with garbage bags, old newspapers and a random pole digs around and hands you a rag to clean with. He smiles. He says, "It's okay, are you hurt too much?" He digs around in his bag of bags and finds one just the right size for the cup with dripping coffee in your hand and the rag he gave you to clean up with and says "Here put that in here and try to clean your hands, your day can only get better from here, right?". 

The man with nothing gave me what little he had and that was incredibly humbling. His simple act really put my epicly embarrassing coffee spillage into perspective. And he was right, my day only got better from there. I'm so glad something happened, that a stranger showed me such selfless kindness, to snap me out of out of my routine and to force me to see how beautiful life is. 

In case you're looking for a little inspiration take a peek at this video a photographer I really like made. Read the story behind it seeing the (internet) light of day here. The things that made my heart leap were the twirls of hair, the time passing, the literal interpretations of footsteps, the windows (there's a life behind each one. Isn't that crazy? I think that each time I see a window. Someone dwells in that frame!) and of course the fact that it was made entirely of film (I think)!

What's been inspiring you lately?

xo, 

azuree