I shot this a few weeks ago at a cemetery near my home-home (as opposed to school-home). I was clicking through some of my images today, and when this one surfaced it stopped me, because death's a subject I've been thinking about recently -- not in a morbid sense, but more of a contemplative one.
My mom always went to this cemetery when she needed to "check perspective", to use her words. After accompanying her on a walk to it one day, I figured out what she meant.
You can't be in the presence of the dead without thinking about your own life. And, in thinking about mine... there's so many more things I want to do. I want to be so much more of a person than I am now. How much time do we spend thinking about ourselves? That's not the way to making anything better. Maybe societal improvement begins with self-improvement, but that doesn't begin with selfishness.
This is the only life we've got, and it's precious and terrifying and exhilarating and wonderful.
Like Stephen King said, "Get busy living or get busy dying." One day all that's left of any of us is going to be a headstone so old it has to be supported against a tree.
I plan to take the former of Mr. King's choices.
Viva la vida.
I like the way the grave stones (tomb stones) are leaning against the tree. They are like tired weary old people that have sat down to rest peacefully under the big old shade tree.
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