The Perfect Frame

It’s been a tiring week. I don’t want to sound too pessimistic and say exhausting. And, I don’t want to point out to myself that it doesn’t look like it’ll be the last such week. Having a son in his senior year of IB and on the Varsity Football Team should come with a health warning, “Could cause serious fatigue.”

At times like these I find myself looking for the positive. Didn’t I say I was an optimist! So, on Wednesday evening as I was eventually being transported home from school at 10:30pm, I was allowing the gentle vibration of the engine and rocking movement of the car to begin my mental and physical relaxation from the day. Although we were three, there was no need for conversation. We all needed some peace.

Suddenly, as we turned a corner in the road, I was treated to a sight that fitted the mood perfectly. It sat next to a friend, close enough but still with a distance between them that respected the peacefulness; the space. There was a warm, yet non intrusive glow. It engulfed me. I could feel the quiet; it was tangible. I instinctively sunk lower in my seat.

A perfect half circle balanced serenely just above the darkened silhouette of the mountain. It was huge, seeming to quietly dominate the whole mountain. A silver glow highlighted the upper peaks. The moon hung there. Its proximity allowing us to see each vein, each creator. As I nestled there I felt as if a grandparent was watching over me; “Old Man Moon.” In my weariness I closed my eyes for a moment and was transported back to childhood snuggles with my grandmother. The warm, safe feeling reassuring me that, “Everything will be alright,” and, “It’s nothing that a good night’s sleep won’t cure.”

I had to break the silence. I had to make sure that Charles and Matthew had both been treated to the same sight. They didn’t quite share my enthusiasm. That’s OK. Passion is a personal thing.

In our professional development at school we have been invited to reflect upon our outlook on life and work by considering the difference between a “good frame” and an even “better frame” using the metaphor of photography. Last Wednesday I was treated to an “excellent frame;” recognizing it was the key.