Quotidian

As I passed a local shop yesterday morning, I saw that it had been gutted. I was away in France last week, so I didn’t notice that the shop had closed down.

I have lived on the same block on and off for over thirty years. The launderette had been there all that time. Suddenly it’s gone. When I was living at home with my parents, we never had a washing machine. We had to go to our local launderette. I have many memories of that shop. A neighbour gave me a washing machine a few years ago. Since then I visited the launderette much less often. I’m sad that it has gone. We mourn the things that pass – they remind us of our own impermanence. The alternative is to celebrate change – at all scales of experience.

This sudden change in my environment reminds me that I should treasure the everyday. The nearby shops. The street where I live. I know the most valuable pictures and videos I have taken over the years have been the ones that capture elements of my day to day life. It is not difficult to remember the special events, the occasions and world travels. The slow evolution of the rest of our lives deserves to be captured.

I suggest you do something soon to capture the quotidian.