Certain parts of San Francisco tell you different things. It seems that the poorer (simply from a monetary or real estate perspective and no disrespect is intended) parts of the city are more colorful, more diverse, so much more alive. And there are messages about for you to take in. Murals, sidewalk stencil art, white tape with poetry written on it. And these little painted signs. I’ve only seen these small colorful wooden signs in the Mission and the people I’ve asked about them don’t seem to know where they come from.
I like that the city talks to us like this. I feel a little badly for the people in Seacliff and Presidio Heights. No whimsy or color lives amongst the mansions.
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This week I had a chance to take a photography friend and his wife for a whirlwind photo tour of San Francisco. Ed (he and his wife co-create their blog Æ:) has been a pen-pal friend via CALIBER, and they had just one day to spend taking photos before they took a red-eye back to New York. Luckily it didn’t rain but still we were hard pressed to be everywhere I thought we should be. I realized the luxury I have, being able to ingest the city at will in bits and pieces… whenever I have the time and the inclination strikes. I think they got a taste of what we wanted to share with them in a few hours.
Like my post yesterday about seeing, the intensity of what I react to outside of me peaks and wanes: with mood, weather, worries. And I reflect that back to myself. Yesterday was a day where I should have looked at this photo more often. It rained, I was down, the Boy and I argued. I can’t blame that on the rain, or not being able to be out in the city, looking for signs of what to be.
Is it really possible to Choose Happiness?
6 Comments
It’s hard to sometimes, but I think it is possible.
Thanks again so much for the tour, and the shout-out. Meeting you, and the others was great.
Love this post, really love this photograph!
I love that picture. As an aside, there are two great free mural tours in the Mission through CityGuides and one of them took me past a whole fence of handpainted signs like these.
As for choosing happiness … I think it’s going to ebb and flow and it’s going to be harder sometimes than other times but I do think that we can keep choosing it again and again.
Yes, choosing happiness is a conscious thing, but also difficult at times. Those are the times it is even more important to choose happiness.
Not only can you choose, you must. Most emotional turmoil is created by false perceptions manufactured by the fearful mind. Minute to minute, second by second, I do have the opportunity to change the tracks on the CD that plays in me head in reaction to life. But, I have to be willing, and I have to have the patience to keep trying to re-route my reactions even after I go off half or fully cocked. For instance, when cut off at a stoplight, I can imagine your voice on the phone, or the kindness you extend to others, and the soundtrack changes.
peace.
i love the color. money i think can sometimes drain the intensity of joy from ones life. Whereas not having money can sometimes allow a person to build on character, find creativity in their resources and also see the many colors of God.