So last time I started writing about the origins of Trip Thirty Five. Why did I choose this? And I stopped. It’s difficult. What really struck me was the difference between how I remembered my relationship with my father and how others remembered him.
I think in part we do try to see the good in people. I remember when a teacher of mine died quite unexpectedly. Now I feared this man whenever we had to have a lesson with him. And whilst I still do describe the fear he would instill in me, I also acknowledge that he was a great teacher. Anyway, I digress a little there. I think the point is that the way in which we remember or feel for someone or something is coloured by context and emotion. We experience each other through different lenses of interpretation.
At the time, growing up, I would think why am I going through all of this? I didn’t remember and maybe didn’t appreciate the happier times. Then going through some old drawers, probably looking for paperwork, I came across an old photo album. We used to have so many that my dad had filled with photos from his Olympus Trip 35. Filled with so many happy memories. I can’t help but think that if he didn’t want those moments he wouldn’t have invested so much in taking those photos. He loved that camera, kept it in a black leather case, only brought it out for special occasions. And I can still hear the high-pitched whine the flash made as it charged. These were the days when the whole process had to be carefully executed so as not to waste a frame, but he still took and kept the photos.
After seeing all of that I know that he did care in his own way and in my youth I didn’t really appreciate the sacrifices that were made. To borrow from the film “Inception” again, that was my moment of catharsis. So I guess this is my homage to my dad and his Olympus Trip 35. I suppose I want to try to live more intentionally each day. I want to appreciate the things I have and encourage my kids to do the same. I can wish that things might have been different back then, but I can’t go back and change anything, so I need to try to look to the future.
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