Tapping the shell

Friday Fragment #2

A carton of four eggs had sat on the dresser for six days. Two of the eggs were blue, two brown. I had been minded to photograph them, but this week has been busy and, as each day ended, I cast a glance their way and acquiesced to photograph them tomorrow, instead. This week, I had eight hour-long conversations with eight people, each looking to start, improve or achieve something; most of them looking to commit to an idea formed weeks, months, even years previously. Within each conversation, I recognised many of my own habits of procrastination, many of my own anxieties about trying to do something which is hard. Even today, between two of these conversations, I considered that I might have time to photograph the eggs, but didn’t. At the start of this week, it hadn’t occurred to me that each of these mentoring-style discussions might be as useful to me as to the person seeking direction or guidance, motivation and, in more than one case, permission, to pursue their ambition. I was struck by how fragile each of us are, yet what strength can come from sharing something, from tapping on that shell – not from the outside, but from the inside – and allowing that living thing to emerge. I photographed the eggs an hour ago.

‘Friday Fragment’ is an additional weekly instalment to my A Thousand Fragments monthly newsletter.