Last Sunday, my husband and I hopped on the Harley and met up with some “biker” friends of ours for an afternoon ride. I love riding on the bike, because it’s one of the few times I can just “be” – nothing and no one is vying for my immediate attention, aside from the need to stay upright on the bike. I can just relax and think about whatever…or nothing at all. If you’re a mom, you understand how rare moments like that can be!
As I was just chilling on the back of the bike, I was thinking “I wish it were easier to take pictures while riding on a motorcycle – there’s so many gorgeous photo ops flying by!” Then, I thought about how it seems like everything in our society is so visually oriented. Advertising has flashy photos…high school senior, wedding and baby photos have changed in the last decade to become high-fashion masterpieces…even cash registers have pictures on them or touch screens with pictures. Have you ever gone to a website and left right away because there weren’t any pictures to grab your attention? Even if the information was good, there was no picture to hold your attention. The humble words were not enough.
A picture says a thousand words, or so it’s said. But if we focus more on images and less on words, will that end up being detrimental, in the long run, to our ability to learn, think and process information? What about our kids, growing up with cell phones and tablets and always having fast-moving entertainment at the tip of their fingers, wherever they are? Are we actually handicapping them, in a sense, if we allow them to free-range on the electronics?
Words are slower, sometimes. They take a few seconds longer than an image to help the brain form a concept, but is that really a bad thing? Each mind has a unique perspective, and no two pictures painted by words read will every be exactly the same. True, perspective comes into play when looking at an image, but the image is the image – an image formed by someone else. An author has an image and conveys it on paper, but each reader paints their own picture when reading the words.
As we drove around, I thought about challenging myself to convey to you the wonders of our ride. It was a sensory delight, even closing my eyes just made it enjoyable in a different way. So, come along with me. Imagine yourself on the back of a motorcycle…just relaxing and enjoying the ride:
hot sun in my face as i wait for the rest of the group
it’s getting hot, let’s go! i want to feel the wind on my skin
hear the deep grumble of the hot pipes
finally, we are off
touring through familiar territory
behind a Sunday driver in a big RV
with apparently no pressing destination
we turn off onto the bypass and away we go
we’re swimming through hot sun, hot air
oh, thank you little cloud for that bit of shade
like splashing in a rain puddle for just a moment
have to stop to refuel our bodies
cool, Italian air greets us at the door
{tomatoes, basil, garlic, meats and cheeses}
hot pizza, cool drinks and a confused waiter later
we’re off again, i forget the look of disapproval
from a polished local as our group leaves
hey lady, there’s no sign saying bikers aren’t allowed!
we head north and cross the state line
i’m immediately greeted by the same earthy, green and lake-y aromas
that i find when i walk outside my door at home
then we fly through the scents of
freshly mowed grass
sweet flowers, as yet unidentified
someone’s supper grilling over charcoal
someone’s laundry tumbling in the dryer
pine trees, sweet not chemical-y like you find in a bottle
riding in and out of the shade of the trees
i feel like a dolphin splashing in and out of the water
hot…cool…hot…cool
around a curve and back again
up and down a hill or several
my senses caressed by
the alive scent of outside and sunshine and green leafy things
i will sleep well tonight.
I challenge you to begin to restore the waning art of the word in your every day life. Stop for a moment some time through your day, close your eyes and sense what is around you and use words to describe it. Post that as your status update instead of snapping a picture. If you want to put something on Instagram or some similar platform, use an app like this free app from my affiliate partner. Create your own hashtag if you like. Or use #ImagineWithMe. Or don’t…but whatever you do, don’t forget about the power inherent in words – for building up and tearing down. Choose your words wisely!
Paint me a picture of what’s around you right now in the comments below:
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