Impermanence

Terrible news. A very dear friend of Sue’s for over forty years, and of mine for the past five, has been diagnosed with a “rare, aggressive” form of cancer. As we struggle to take in the news, and to think of some way to support her and her partner of many years, we fall silent. Surgery will come soon. In an email, the couple writes: “Feelings run the gamut—shock, unreality, fear, sadness, anxiety, gratitude, love, appreciation, more fear more sadness and also impatience—waiting is hard.” 

We sat with this news and these feelings as the sun began to shine after two months of steady rain. The migraine I am having let up a little, and Sue and I set out for Wahclella Falls, a one-mile easy hike only half an hour from Portland. All of us are here temporarily. We enjoy what we can, while we still can. Today’s photograph is not Wahclella, but an “unnamed seasonal waterfall” near it. Ephemeral, impermanent, like us. This is not a slow exposure; rather it’s the result of a thin stream of water falling across rock as the wind blows it into a mist. 


Today is the fifth anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution. I have mentioned Alexander Murray’s very fine book of photographs and observations, Parade of Presidents. There’s an interesting review and interview with him here.