It’s that time of year again: time for reflection. And one way I am reflecting is through the perusal of some of my favorite photos, most of which I snapped, that capture many of the highlights from our first year here in Maine. Another way I reflect is through the compilation of experiences during the year in a file that I simply call Highlights. It helps give me perspective at the end of each year to review and literally recollect my memories.
As I grow older I am reminded that memories are largely what we are left with at the end of this life so I strive to collect them in words and pictures to remember my life in retrospect. One of my pet peeves in life is struggling to recall details from events, such as names of people or places, and so recording them in some manner assists me with the memory making process. It is through periodic reflection that I am able to make sense of my journey and the experiences that make my life what it is.
And apparently I am in good company. In Thoreau’s Country, author David R. Foster writes of Henry David Thoreau: “Rather than choosing to explore the world and document nature and human activity extensively, Thoreau sought to reflect intensively on the daily, seasonal, and annual happenings of the New England countryside.” Note the difference between extensive exploration and intensive reflection.
As Foster further observes of Thoreau, “The result is an unparalleled wealth of observations and reflections that were based on repeated visits to the same sites, under changing conditions, separated by time and the opportunity for careful thought. Thus he was able to document the commonplace as well as interpret the complex.”
So on that note I welcome you to visit my cloud-based photo album at Our Maine Year. Maine is the type of place that evokes a strong sense of peace, whether at the mountains or the ocean, and our experience of it is one of profound appreciation for its natural beauty, friendly people and simple lifestyle, all of which I tried to capture in pictures for quiet reflection.