Life and Relationships

This is a photo taken by Pradeep Jeganathan at the Gallery Cafe, Colombo, that appeared on his Flickr page ages ago, which completely arrested me the minute I saw it. Since then, I've been back to check out his many, many beautiful photos, but mostly to look at this pic again. Why? The photographer has called it 'lunchtime' (or maybe this is merely a description? I'm not sure here), but what the photo is, to me, a representation of Life.

Look at the photo for a moment - what do you see? The flower - centre-stage, lit up, beautiful. The ash tray and glass of water pales and are merely 'there'.

Now look again. Take a moment.

The ash tray stuck to the flower as close as it can, is unusual, unique, yet is in semi-shadow.

And in the glass of water, there is a tiny, tiny reflection of the flower.

Isn't this what life is like?

We are all so busy focusing on what is lit up (for us) and beautiful and centre-stage that we forget there are so many things that are in shadow that are perhaps begging for our attention and care too. And how many times in our lives do we take a moment to notice the little reflections in the water around us that our caused by ourselves?

Maybe it is because I have seen so many relationships break up, or have gone so far down the track towards break up, over little things like this that I saw "life" in this photo. But I'm not talking about just couples and marriages when I say relationships. I mean relationships in general - with your parents, siblings and friends.

Life is such that we get caught up in it, in the things that are lit up around us and forget those that are relatively in shadow. We rush through life oblivious to the reflections (however little) that are caused by ourselves.

What I have learnt in my 26 years of existence on this fast-rotating planet is this:

Focus on the flower, appreciate its beauty, but never, never forget the ashtrays in shadow and always, take a moment to notice the reflections in the water.