Seattle Photographer and Her Musings: Part I
I lied to you. I simply got tired of trying to explain while you looked at me with that face. I took the easy way out and lied. Perhaps it was not a complete lie, but what I said implied something that is not true. I am sad I did it; I wish I hadn’t.
You are a sweet couple sitting in First Class flying from Nashville to Seattle. Middle-aged, holding hands and laughing while gazing at all the pictures of your grandkids on your iPhone. You would swipe, swipe, swipe then pause to giggle and talk about the memory each image evoked for you.
Me: Sipping a Bailey’s and coffee, genuinely wishing for another, and wanting to suck every last penny out of my First Class seat. Sitting next to my 4-year-old-son who is asking me why the plane ‘takes off’, why it lands, why there are clouds, why can’t he get up… Why?
I couldn’t help but notice how in love this couple was. She looked at him like they had just started dating and she has yet to notice his flaws. They talked for the first two hours of the flight. They had so much to say. She must be his second wife. They are too happy, I think, as I tried to crawl out from my cloud to say hello and get to the bottom of this joyful sunshine I was sitting near.
The truth came out. They have been married 32 years, with stunning grandkids they are so proud of and are flying to Alaska to see the newest addition as soon as she makes her debut. They were the picture of my relationship goals. They were the collage in my head of what I wanted for myself, for my son. Their three kids and a slew of grandkids are so lucky to have role models like this who pour out love, model love, real love. I have never seen anything like it. I asked them as many questions as I could in the four-hour flight to Seattle wanting desperately for some knowledge of how they do what they do because they are doing it right. I felt happier just talking to them. They literally warmed my heart and soul.
The attention soon turned to my son and I with a question I tend to stumble on abruptly arose.
“When are you going to give him a sibling?”
Everything stopped. My throat got tight and I muttered out a quiet, ‘We can’t’ along with a shy glance in the other direction. I couldn’t ruin this moment of joyful family-honoring talk with the truth. “I don’t want any more sounded callous and dishonoring to how amazing they are. So I lied. I lied to keep this glittering, loving flight happy. I didn’t want to tell you my truth. People tend to back away like they just ate a lemon when I tell them the truth. I took the easy way out.
And let me tell you why…
Coming Soon in Seattle Photographer and Her Musings: Why I lied, Part II
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Until then, enjoy this stunning family photography session taken in Seattle!
Our Stunning Impermanence | Personal Thoughts of a Photographer
Paccar Pavilion Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle, WA
Seattle Photographer Tilly Goble