Lonely Gypsy Wind

Yesterday afternoon the call of the open road drew me back into the sweeping, stunning Alberta prairies, this time north and west of my home in Cochrane. Just like most Saturdays since I moved west for work, I found my heart stir with the odd mixture of home-sickness for my dear family and friends and the utter joy of experiencing scenery that often brings tears to my eyes. Can one feel joy and sorrow at the same time? It was warm enough to put my arm out the window, as any farmer’s daughter would, and so I put on some appropriate back country road tunes that included one of my all time favourites, Farmer’s Daughter. Their song Lonely Gypsy Wind captures the yin and yang of loneliness and the pull of the open road. As usual, my mind wandered to other times and the thought struck me, I was in a much different place this time last year. Tempus fugit!!

Last year on this very weekend I started my first official freelance photography gig for TV Ontario. Each weekend I would traipse around the city of Toronto, camera in hand, capturing the cultural heartbeat of a vibrant city celebrating its diversity in bold colours. My first assignment: The Toronto Pride Parade. You can see my results above. I had never attended this event before and oh, what a party! Joy personified in startling hues. I remember being exceptionally nervous. You see, I am not known for taking photos of people. Give me a quiet landscape any day. But humans? They move! But they also wave at you. And elevate a mere photo to a story waiting to be told. Who knew photographing people could be so energizing, so stirring, so compelling?

As it turns out, in a tough summer spent searching for employment and a new place to call home, I would land a gig that would teach me more about life than any job has ever done in my past. Each Saturday turned into an exploration and appreciation of the human spirit dressed up in the bright colours of the summer cultural festivals that make Toronto a quilt stitched together with all the world’s flags. At the end of my TVO gig I was left with a gallery of photos more vibrant and story-filled than any yet. Gratefully, I got a chance to tell this story to a dear friend’s congregation just before moving to Alberta. If you would like to walk through my 2013 Toronto Festivals gallery framed in life lessons learned, please join me here. You may find that my recent Saturday Alberta Adventures are an expression of my appreciation for the good fortune of enjoying life’s moments, big, small, quiet, loud, happy or sad. Our time on earth is precious. Celebrate each day. They are gifts!