A matter of perspective

A few months ago I had this bright idea of starting a photo journal, posting one picture per entry, with the goal of one entry per day. I’ve been intrigued by some of the other photo journals I’ve found online, and since both Richard and I now have digital cameras and the ability to snap pictures at a moment’s notice, I didn’t think it would be too difficult to keep going.

I am discovering that it is far more difficult than I had previously imagined. I look at other sites and see beautiful or interesting snapshots that span the range from wild and bizarre to ordinary and every day items. Obviously finding things to take pictures of is not difficult at all for everyone else who has tried this. So why is it so difficult for me?

I know that one reason is that I am continually looking for something special – some great photographic moment – and that half the time I do not have my camera actually in my hand when I see something that might be worth capturing, or else by the time I fumble it out of my purse the moment has passed. And don’t get me wrong – I’m actually pretty proud of a few of the pictures I’ve taken since we started this project, especially since I know I would never have thought to drag out the camera without such a motive. What I have such a hard time with is the notion that every picture does not have to be the perfect moment (And also, there’s the little matter of the fact that no one would ever accuse me of being any kind of great photographer). We’re still plugging away at it, however, if only because it *is* kind of fun, in a slightly frantic sort of way. And if nothing else it is forcing me to pay attention to things around me – something that’s probably a nice change for someone who often defines the word ‘oblivious’ a little too well.

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We had an interesting discussion last night at the bible study. I noted before that this week was all about law and order and how it is laid out in the bible (if you want some fun, go poke through Deuteronomy and check out all the nitpicky little laws. My personal favorite is the one about how if two men get in a fight and the wife of one grabs the balls of the other, she gets her hand cut off. But anyway, the subject came up, as it inevitably does in these sort of situations, about people who do not believe in god but claim that they still are spiritual, and the natural question is, of course, how is this possible? As the token agnostic in the group, naturally I felt it my duty to at least attempt to offer some insight into how the rest of us wackos think, so after fumbling around and pondering it for a while I finally hit on an explanation that at least makes sense to me. Being spiritual does not require a belief in a supreme being. I believe that there are other powers out there that may not be visible to the human eye. I believe that people can interact with those powers to some extent, and that those powers can have an impact on what goes on around us – whether it be our own lives or our environment. What I have a hard time believing, however, is that there is one, central power that is supreme over everything else; that has ultimate power over me and every living creature and that is guiding my fate. That is, for me, the distinct difference between spirituality and belief in a god.

It seemed to make sense to the rest of the group (once I finally figured out how to put the whole concept into words), but I’m curious if I’m just some weirdly abnormal agnostic or if this is the general perspective of other people who are in my position. Not knowing very many other agnostics, I can’t take any sort of informal poll, however. So I guess it will just have to do.

In other, less weighty news, Rebecca is home. The vet said she hadn’t made a peep the entire time she was there, but the minute they opened the door to bring her out I could hear her yelling, and she did not stop yelling for more than the time it took her to suck in a breath the entire drive home. And people wonder why it is that house call vets are worth their weight in gold…

So far, she seems to be doing fine. The only thing remaining is to keep her shut up at night for the next two weeks because she’s not allowed to sleep with us because she is still slightly radioactive. Why yes, this does makes me giggle like an idiot every time I say this, just so you know. And the plus side of this is that it’s a great incentive to get out of bed in the morning, because as soon as the alarm goes off, she knows I am awake and starts yelling. So much for my usual habit of smacking the snooze alarm at least once and rolling over to get a few more minutes of sleep. I could be wildly optimistic and say that two weeks of hopping out of bed at the first sound of the alarm might cure me of the snooze button habit, but I think we all know better than that.

7 thoughts on “A matter of perspective”

  1. I am one of those lucky people to have a mobile vet. When I had six cats and two dogs, it took forever to take them for immunizations two at a time. Now the vet comes to me, in his office. AND–he doesn’t charge for the house call when it’s immunizations.

  2. It’s so wonderful to have the housecall vet for the regular stuff (yearly checkups and shots). Dragging all seven cats into the vet is an exercise in sheer hell (for me and for them, I think), and making seven separate trips is just impossible.

  3. I hit the snooze three times every morning. All seven dogs roll over and sigh each time I hit it. Rather comical. Cats, on the other hand, think the alarm is for waking up or something. They pile on the bed and poke me, “Wake up! Wake up!” The difference between the species, right there.

  4. For an interesting view on the “Spiritual” vs. “Religious” you might find interesting The Book of Shadows or Witchcrafting both by Phyllis Curott. While she is a witch, she does address the subject of spirituality not having to have anything to do with God (with a capital G). I’ve been questioning the whole “God thing” for many, many years (since I was forced to endure confirmation class in high school) and have come to realize that it was the patriarchal, Judeo-Christian aspect of divinity that was such a turn-off to me. I have since studied many other religions and belief systems and have found those that really speak to me are those that are the “earth-based” belief systems of most indiginous cultures throughout the world. You are definitely not the only “wacko” out there!

  5. Thanks, Aimee! I’ll look for these. I’ve always found the study of religion fascinating due to the fact that there are so many different versions of how we began, why we die, how we are ‘goverened’, and so on. Glad to know I’m not the only one (grin).

  6. Now Jen, be careful and don’t go trying to get yourself bit by the radioactive kitty. Hate to see you come down with the proportionate ego of a feline and twitch with your ‘kitty sense’ whenever a can opener is used nearby. ;)

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