We found this lemur hidden between the rock it’s sitting on and the bluebonnets. It was hidden, dirty, wet, and sad. Somewhere a small broken heart misses this lemur. We set her up, sitting, waiting. But it’s been days now and she still sits, waiting, as the storms start rolling through.
I tend to like more photos that I make for a theme that I typically share. While quarantined I’m changing that. These are my other images of brokenness. More inside.
I’ve spent a lot of time staring at that ceiling fan. Mostly after our lost pregnancies. Mourning our three children that would never have a future. I am a broken man, pulled back together. The photos this week reflect some of that brokenness, and some of the healing.
An Introduction…
In the next eight weeks, we are looking to explore and respond to eight consoling values in direct conflict to modern ideals. In this week’s theme of Brokenness, we are responding to the ideal of perfectionism and perfectability — the notion that we are or can be made perfect. Ideals are by definition, something to aspire to, a drive toward excellence or absolute perfection. Many religions are based in the transformative action of made being perfect, righteous, enlightened, or without blemish, and have grappled with human nature to be quite the opposite. As we move to a more post-religious society, we may not need to throw everything out — including how we respond to our consistent lack of perfection, righteousness, or enlightenment. We are all human striving towards the eternal ideal of perfection and in this pursuit, we fail and fall. This week’s theme is to elevate the vulnerability of failure, of brokenness, and of missing the mark.
Week 1 – Brokenness: Under this theme will sit photography that could help to reconcile us with our broken and imperfect nature, which would liberate us from the folly of perfectionism and render it safer to share our vulnerabilities with others. The goal is to feel less alone in our vulnerabilities.