"Time is the best teacher but unfortunately it kills all of its students."

I'm currently visiting my dad for a few days as I had to take my car in for some repairs and maintenance, which included an oil gasket leak, power steering fluid flush, brake fluid flush, spark plugs, and the works.

The process took a couple of hours to complete, so instead of waiting in the waiting room or having someone pick me up to go wait comfortably at home, I decided to walk around with my camera and try to make some new work.

I have to say, there's really nothing more that I enjoy than walking aimlessly in an area that I have never been and taking photographs. I love it. I lose myself and everything that is on my mind that I "worry" about. I'm present, in the zone, and honestly having a great time.

Photography for me is a portal to enter a state of mind that transcends time and space.

The area that I was in was very industrial, so my walk started next door at the other car mechanic shop, and I meandered down to the small local town where some shops were. Didn't see too much, so I turned around and started walking back down the other way.

Sometimes I don't see anything of interest for a while. What I have noticed though, as a little trick to start having things "come out of the woodwork," is just to start shooting at the first thing that captures my interest. Getting the ball rolling with pushing the shutter somehow gets me in the "flow state" that I enjoy getting in when making photographs.

As I walked further, I visited a plant nursery that was just opening. The woman who was opening the gate was very nice and invited me into walk around and do as I please. There were a few nice plants around, but what gravitates me the most is seemingly, to others maybe, the "ugly stuff" or the subject matter that one wouldn’t really consider making a photograph of. Blank spaces, trash, neglect - it's all good stuff to me. The light falling upon these subjects makes them interesting.

After the nursery, I found a large industrial facility and a train yard. A worker stood next to one of the train cars, so I went up and asked what they were loading. He said that he’s been working there for 30 years, and that they make plastic trash bags, and those tubes feeding into the train cars were pumping out plastic beads for production. I thought that was interesting. We chatted for a bit, I thanked him for his time, and moved on.

Eventually, I ended up at a church with these really nice orange and brown doors. I sat on a bench in the back to kill some time, listening to a few podcasts. While I was there, I noticed a sign that read:

"Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God."

I’m not a religious guy per se, haven’t been to church in over a decade, and I’ve had my own experiences — psychedelics included — where I’ve glimpsed something I’d call “God.”, but there’s something to take from that.

Whatever your definition of “God” is, there’s value in gratitude whether things are good or bad. Life itself is a miracle. Appreciating the small things keeps you grounded, humble, and connected.

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