I’m currently on a flight to Taipei and I can’t sleep. As a result, I have resorted to looking at old pictures to pass the time. I came across some pictures that basically sum up my past experiences in ‘love’ (basically nil), but these pictures did inspire me to write about them in ’20 somethin’ and invincible!’.
I am looking at a picture of a lovely lady (let’s call her ‘Amy’ for the sake of keeping this anonymous). In this picture, you can clearly tell we were very close at that time. Both our smiles look genuine, not forced. The picture is taken at a party during the summer, in a hectic environment, yet both of us seem very comfortable.
This picture describes a very carefree point in my life just after college. I was fighting with my own feelings about her and another girl, both of which nothing ever ended up happening. It is amazing what a picture can inspire and what sort of memories it can trigger. As incredibly destroyed as I was that night, I remember most of the details, but that picture makes all the memories of ‘Amy’ and or relationship at that point in time. Today, we are still close friends, but definitely not as close as before. What caused this slight rift in or relationship, I doubt I will ever know, but looking back on this photo, I can rest easy that at least, there was such a time where we may have thought of each other as more than just friends.
I am looking at another picture of another lovely lady friend, let’s call her ‘Emily’. ‘Emily’ and I were at a point where there was possibly something between us (or it cold just be my own delusion), but nothing ever came of it. It’s a candid picture, taken when no one was ready for it, so I feel like it really describes the feeling of that night well. We were at a friend’s wedding, and while there was really nothing between us at the time, that moment in time felt just right. It’s the same story as the first one. It was a fun night where our past with each other was erased for just that moment, and it was like we had just met for the first time.
There is no real direction to this post, but if there must be a purpose to this, it would be a reminder that no matter where you are in your life or how your relationship is with someone, there was a point where it was different, for better or worse. Documenting these experience’s are essential to reminding ourselves of the times we’ve had, the night’s we’ve shared, and the emotions we have felt. Maybe it is true; maybe a picture really does speak a thousand words.
