Life in Black & White

by | Nov 27, 2017 | Blog, Culture, Life Lessons | 2 comments

Seven days, seven photos of your daily life in black and white. No people, no explanation, challenge a friend to join every day.

After Amelia showed me how to take a black & white picture on my iPhone, I began posting new shot each day. It dawned on me today how different yet somewhat clearer the image in a black & white picture can appear.  The starkness at first is almost offensive.  The absence of the vibrant colors in the picture seemed odd.

I remember being a kid in the late 1960’s, early 70’s.  Television was in black & white. We could not afford a color TV and I was none-the-wiser until we went to my cousin’s house and watched the 1965 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Lesley Ann Warren.  I was awestruck. I sat in front of that small screen mesmerized with my grandmother singing along and I will never, ever forget it. Did the absence of color change the beauty or message of the story?  My imagination took a break that night and sadly for many, imagination has been on hiatus for some time.

I just took a few moments to watch the old clips on You Tube. Take some time to look at the clips. I still have the same reaction when I see them. (And that prince was very handsome!)

Answers to life’s questions are not always black & white. The evening news, the events of the day and the life challenging stories that we see on television, are ironically, not black & white.  With all the improvements in technology and society, I sometimes still long for the days of only three channels on my tiny black & white television. It was simpler. Life was simpler.

But must it be only black & white, or can there be shades of gray? (maybe not 50 Shades, wink-wink.) Some things are gray; some choices fall into a middle ground or gray area.  That’s ok too. I think of Izzy.  She is a Pug and cannot see the full spectrum of colors, yet it does not seem to impact her life, at least not from where I sit.

So, I will continue my black & white challenge for perhaps a little longer than these seven days.  Looking through the lens and seeing black & white makes the image actually very clear. If only it could all work like that.

 

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2 Comments

  1. Chris Schmitt

    Well, 1st off…I know how much you love(d) “Fifty Shades of Grey”, as did I sitting in many parking lots waiting for athletic practices to be over. But in the truest sense of grey…, the grey is where we think, dig, grow and learn. The older I get the more I realize it’s not about knowing the answer but it’s the knowing that I don’t…and that’s okay!!!

    Reply
    • Karen

      Thanks Chris. ❤️

      Reply

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KarenHello and welcome.
I am often asked, “What is Pasta on the Floor?”
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