Occasionally though, I deliberately incorporate complete strangers into my travel pictures.
It was odd in a way, experiencing the moment while watching it unfold from a distance too. I bounced between both stories as they ran concurrently before succumbing to the inevitable draw to capture the moment like a firefly and keep it for my own guilty pleasure.
We were one and the same; another middle aged couple (bear with me, please! ) walking hand in hand along the shores of Maui’s Ka'anapali beach at the end of yet another perfect day in paradise.
Perhaps it was their easy, uniform pace that suggested they understand the sum of their shared lives was much more than two hearts beating in unison. They walked as one with their shoes in hand, their soles bared at the end of another precious day shared between friends and lovers.
It didn’t seem to matter there were storm clouds on the horizon. Experience has taught Jim and I they usually blow over quickly.
The wind in my hair felt liberating that evening; my husband’s hand in mine always keeps me grounded, safe. The gentle sound of the surf filled the comfortable silence between us where once our hopes and dreams had taken flight in a litany of chatter filled with planning and purpose. The soft, warm breeze caressing my face and arms hinted the night was still young; so were we.
The moment needed nothing. I could see and feel my life and its blessings as plain as the footprints in the sand.
I just needed something to make the beauty of the moment more than a fleeting memory.