Today

Every day I search the internet for something extraordinary.  Some story or idea that changes my mood, impresses me, or inspires me. This is always something external to my own daily life but what if you just looked at what was in front of you, (really looked at it), and were able to find something there, extraordinary or not?

 I came across  a story about a 19 year old aspiring photographer who took a photograph every day of his life from 1979 to 1997, until he died of cancer.  These were mostly random pictures with some common themes. Some of New York city, some of his friends, and even a few documenting his chemotherapy all taken by a tv cameraman who wanted to create his own work instead of film someone else's project.  They weren't all unusually remarkable but they all meant something to him which is moving in its own right.

For whatever reason it struck me. Maybe we should try to document each day of our life with one image.  And if you did, would it change your life?  Would you pay more attention to everything you see to find that one scene?  I think I would want it to be spectacular but that doesn't happen on a daily basis, at least not in the way we imagine it to be. Maybe the ordinary is extraordinary but we don't appreciate it enough to see it in that way.

 I'm thinking about doing it but I don't have a great camera on my phone and I think I would take too many pictures while I'm trying to drive which, ironically, could cause an accident and end the project and my life.  And what if it isn't something visual that standouts that day but something you hear or experience?  I guess the take away is to capture one thing each day for as long as you can.