I enjoy simplicity. I appreciate simple things in life. Take for example the day I spent with my friend the other day. It was simple. I visited him at his home. We talked. We shared stories. Later,we went out to take some photographs of our old junior high school. We reminisced. I enjoy these kinds of interactions. I appreciate the ordinary quality of these sort of activities. I do not seek much more than a simple conversation.

My friend bought me a bar of chocolate, a product of his native country. The gesture, though not a large one, mean a lot to me. These little things are what make up a person’s life. And I suppose it is reflected in what I enjoy photographing. Only after reviewing my photos did I realize that my favorite photographs are those of everyday objects. As Sy Parrish says, “Most people don’t take snapshots of the little things. The used Band-Aid, the guy at the gas station, the wasp on the Jell-O. But these are the things that make up the true picture of our lives. People don’t take pictures of these things.”

<a href=”http://u.wistfulwriter.com/waterglass111.jpg”>Speaking of which, I have been having fun with my Canon Digital Rebel XSi (450D). I have learned about the theory behind photography in the past when I had a lot of free time and wandered the aisles of the Barnes and Noble in Forest Hills. I have always had an appreciation for photography and felt that my Sony Cybershot DSC-P10 was rather limited, even for regular photos of family vacations and whatnot. Now I have the freedom to explore. I have a lot to learn, and by no means are my photographs anything compelling. After all, I’m no art student. But I do enjoy photography and hope that over time I will be able to increase my knowledge and competency. I’m still very unsure of what the shot will look like after I adjust the aperture or the shutter speed: I have tou se the live view.

But back to simplicity. I realized that I have simple wants and simple needs. I do not wish to travel the world and to see the vast African savannahs. I do not wish to see Broadway shows every weekend. I do not wish to go dancing in clubs. I do not seek excitement. There is much satisfaction to be found in the simplest of things in life. Kwai Chang Caine once expressed that he had work, he had food, and he had a bed. Why should he yearn for anything else? And that is the way I feel about life in general. I do not aspire to a life of high society. My aspiration is to someday have a loving woman to have kids with, to build a beautiful and warm home. I want to raise my children in a trusting and loving environment. I want to spend time with people I care about. I don’t care what I’m doing with them. My idea of a good time is defined by the company more than the activity. But as usual, the simpler the better.

This carries over to my preference in women. I don’t need a woman who is extremely well educated. I don’t need a woman who has lots of hobbies and lots of activities to keep her busy. I don’t need a woman who looks stunning or is very fashionable. I am not one who seeks sophistication. I like plain Janes just fine. I probably prefer them over the woman who has been to every country in Europe and graduated from an Ivy League. Not that I would say no to a woman like that, but experience and observation tells me that those kind of women wouldn’t exactly want to settle down and raise kids.

As for that nice bar of chocolate, I haven’t eaten it just yet, but perhaps I will today. I think I’ll have it with one of my favorite teas.