October 8- "Pink"

 For about year now, my mother has been supporting a very close friend of ours through her final battles of terminal, stage-four breast cancer.Our friend and her husband are unlikely to make it through the next month of their respective battles with cancer (this  is also her second bout with breast cancer). They are both receiving palliative care.

 My mother is not a clinician, nor is she a researcher. She did not buy any pink, plastic, rhinestone encrusted tchochkes to proclaim her support of our friend to the world. But she is doing the most I've ever seen anybody do for the cause of improving the lives of our sisters in humanity who are suffering in this particular way. 

For the past year my mother has been going to our friends house, with other women from our Buddhist community, to  chant in prayer (sometimes for hours at a time)with her. My mother sometimes provides transportation to and from the hospital for treatments. My mother and the other women cook and clean for her and her family when the chemo has ravaged them, body and soul, beyond the point of exhaustion. These women spend time simply talking and laughing with her- this, I think, is the key contribution. There isn't a lab in the world that can produce this kind of healing. 

Yes, it STILL (in 2013, no less!) needs to be said loudly and often that IT IS RECOMMENDED FOR WOMEN AGE 40 AND OLDER TO HAVE A MEDICAL SCREENING THAT INCLUDES A MAMMOGRAM ONCE EVERY YEAR BECAUSE EARLY DETECTION IS KEY FOR MAXIMIZING SURVIVAL AND QUALITY OF LIFE. Yes, funding research to improve treatment and to find a cure is crucial. But with all our focus on creating rosy future, the hardships being endured by women  like our friend go un-addressed. I fear they are marginalized in favor of a shiny, pink, happy soundbite from a fundraising/ awareness walk. 

When I first saw this photo a day prompt I almost decided to abstain from participating that day. As a public health worker, I am VERY opposed to "Pinkwashing". How can taking a photo of something pink and then posting it on my far flung corner of the internet for damn near nobody to see be meaningful, rather than an act of "slacktivism"? What would I photograph that could possibly honor our friend and my mother's efforts? 

 

In the end, I decided to snap a quick photograph with my cell phone of something that is, to many, the ultimate act  of do-nothing-ness. It is a photo of my prayer beads in action. They happen to be pink.  This photo is of the Buddhist practice that is the foundation of the relationship between our family and our friend's family. When I chant with these beads in my hands, I can provide words of encouragement and emotional support for my mother, over a thousand miles away. When my mom does this she can find the energy to provide for our friend and her family. When our friend does this, she can find the courage to face the future with dignity. 

Photo A Day Update

Am I the only one who is keenly aware of the relativity of time? The previous two weeks felt excruciatingly long. Then, for whatever reason, starting around 7:00 AM on Saturday,  what I have experiencing as the passage of roughly 45 minutes is -to the rest of the universe- 3 hours! 

That said, I have taken a few photos...though not all for the challenge. I'm not above playing catch up though. :)

October 7- "Corner"

For a few weeks, Boston participated in Luke Jerram's "Play Me, I'm Yours" project! 75 Pianos were installed around the city to be played by...well...anyone! This was one I passed on my bike ride home from work, at the corner of Washington Square.

I think the next photo deserves a post of its own. :)

Catching up on Photos with Friends!

So...I messed up and I thought 8:00 was Friday's picture, but it was actually Sunday's picture. I also slept through both 8:00 hours on Sunday. Sorry.  Anyway here are my photos from the past few days:

Friday, October 4 - 8:00 (Should have been "In Motion")

A swingin' Friday night in the Askins-Hewitt household! While our friends were being total rock stars at the Voodoo Glow Skulls show, we opted to stay in to watch one of our favorite shows, Red Dwarf. I love the ska, but they're a a little louder than what I'm prepared to endure after a long day of work. (Read: I'm too old for that shit!)

Saturday, October 5: Afternoon

Saturday afternoon was quite felicitous! We ended up running a few errands and then walking around downtown. Even in the city, there is a decent amount of leaf peeping to be had! 

Sunday, I took no photos. Kiss my grits. 

Monday, October 7- What I saw today

 If I took a picture of what I actually look at all day, it would be a major HIPAA violation. So instead, I will share my kitchen window. I love cooking, I love coming home, and it is one of many details in my apartment that facilitates my fantasy that I live in Middle Earth. 

Want to play along? Daily photo assignments can be found here. Share yours in the comments! Also, if you want to see photos from these assignments that were artfully taken, with an actual camera (not quickly snapped with a cell phone), please visit Home Says Hello! 

Photo a Day- with Friends!

October 1, 2013: Something Colorful

October 2, 2013: Light (could I have been any less creative?)

October 3, 2013: Me, today. 

For the month of October, I am doing a photo a day challenge. In order to increase my chances of completing the challenge, I have convinced dear cousin to also participate! She is a professional photographer (read: genius artist in the medium of light and humans), and an insightful, tender, profound writer. In short, everyone hoping to escape from being labeled a "philistine" should be following her blog.

If you want to participate too...or just want to jump in on a day with a particularly moving prompt (which is what I usually end up doing), please do! And please share  your art in the comments!

Dabbling in a September Photo Challenge

Here are my photos from September 8 and September 9:

September 8- Close Up

 September 9- From a Distance

Summer Picnic Club

Brad and I are two for two weekends in a row that included picnics. We are hoping to go on as many picnics as possible as long as the weather holds out. Brad said that he was so surprised at how good it has been to just sit in the grass. I think our apartment is pretty quiet for being in one of the busier neighborhoods in the city, but I still feel like the constant buzz our urban life is more draining than we realize. Even only two weeks in, our picnic ritual feels like a meditation of sorts.
 

 Last week we were so lazy that we didn't even pack a picnic. Instead, we stopped at BoLoCo on Park Street and took our burritos and NUTELLA MILKSHAKE(!!) to the Boston Public Garden. We spread out our blanket in a nice sunny patch to watch the Swan Boats go by, and we even saw a wedding! Tres exciting!


This week we were a little more prepared (and we had the time to put something together, as it is a three day weekend for  Memorial Day). We went to a park closer to our apartment that turned out to be a nice quiet oasis. I think it added to the relaxing vibe that the meal required very little preparation, and even less equipment to tote to the park. We just reveled in the simplicity of it all.

Feel free to share some of your favorite picnic menus in the comments, or let me know what you think of this one!

My favorite part of The Hobbit Is...

Like all good nerds, Brad and I went to see The Hobbit when it came out in the theater last year. And yes, it was all the things everyone said it was (visually stunning, faithful to the books, entirely too long, etc.). But I think my very favorite part of the movie was the most innocuous moment, and probably not shared as a favorite by most people.

I just love the 20 second part towards the beginning when Frodo visits his uncle, and he takes an apple from a basket right at the front door, presumably meant to welcome, or to see off  visitors (obviously, of the most respectable type only).  Having a basket of fruit at the front door is just about the most charming, hospitable thing I can imagine! In addition to apples, I think bananas, oranges, plums, or nectarines that would normally be stored on the counter-top would be quite at home at the front door to encourage anyone using the entryway to take one for the road, thus avoiding the temptation to pick up one of those overly-sugared, half-hearted pastries at  a Starbucks. See? The benefits are endless!

Have you ever been inspired to take a part of a story or a movie and incorporate it into your real life? How so?