Your Weathered Self
Shall I compare thee to painted lines in a carpark?
Can you feel the friction of time and weathering wearing away at you? Not as pristine as you once were, are you? Your smooth edges have become chipped over the years. Your gloss has been rubbed away in patches, it still shows but not evenly. And the cracks are slowly growing day by day, joining together as an unstoppable, unfillable force.
Cover it all as best you can, wear a mask, paint over those cracks. Try scrubbing out the stains and washing away the tainted marks that you could not avoid picking up through living. Hide and do not expose yourself.
Or. Accept the fact that you are beautiful. It makes you beautiful.
Weathering works on everything. And it works wonders. The plain becomes nuanced, the gaudy becomes fascinating and the bland becomes so much richer in tone. On both objects and people. Weathering doesn't care, it won't show bias, we all get blessed by its touch.
It is where the real character lies. Your character. Events and experiences leave their marks, which merge and mingle into your refined self. What you do and who you know are all forces of nature that create your weathered being. Family, friends and colleagues have an impact that at times may feel like being scratched and dented but without it our bright, shiny glare is actually quite dull. Fresh and perfect works for a toddler but less so as an adult.
Celebrate the cracking that makes you so fascinatingly unique. It is your history written for all to see or read. It is, undeniably, yours. It's why people can't keep their eyes off you, well, I can't anyway.
Every car off a production line is identical but look again thirty years later as paint flakes and rust and minor dents and scratches have weathered their way across the gloss. Each vehicle is now its own. Not as strong or fast as it once was but it has lived and has stories to tell.
We have a head-start as we are born individuals but the living years then build our personality and create our character. To me, the process we go through is a form of weathering, which is so much more than degradation or disintegration. It is constructive more than destructive and valuing it is to see the soul.
One day I hope to be as interesting as these old painted lines in a carpark.
All photographs taken with my iphone11 in one carpark in Petchaburi, Thailand, during a thirty-minute visit.
This reminds me of the trend which I think is still going on on Instagram, but the act of looking, or observing or something along those lines. The act of looking, seeing what people usually pass by unaware. I have posted so much about weathered objects as well, and your post is just another reminder to look. To perceive life and all its beauty in the everyday objects that present themselves to us.
I love this line from your post:
We are our history, and if we want to cover it up by smoothing over our "cracks" we are in a sense covering up our history, taking the opportunity away from others to see our history, and to learn from us.
Thank you so much for your beautiful post!
And thank you so much for your great reply.
The pleasure is all mine! Keep well.
This is the kinda writing that I love to read, Adrian. Pure art and creativity sparking between the... um... photographic art! It's a real treat for the senses!!! The parallels you draw between human existence, life experience, AND the seemingly mundane old and worn paintwork on a carpark floor are both insightful and poetic. Beauty is truly a matter of perspective. I love unraveling the layers to find the hidden nuggets that lie beneath the surface.
I'm dropping it into Dreemport today so that hopefully more of our readers (a.k.a. dreemers) can have the opportunity to enjoy it as much as I did!
!PIZZA !ALIVE
Thanks very much, it's very encouraging to get reaction like this. And thanks for the generous tip!
You are very welcome! I knew our dreemers would love your writing too, so I'm glad it was well received in the Dreemport community. And apologies for my rather late reply. I came down with a virus Friday/Saturday and spent half the weekend in bed, so have been low-key on Hive for a few days. If you are interested, please feel free to follow the link to see what we do. It's a great way to get more eyes on your content and more meaningful engagement on your Hive posts. And now, it's after 2 am here in the UK so I must get some sleep. I'll have to catch up on your blog in the next day or two. Have an awesome day!
Thanks. I'll have a look although I'm actually trying to spend less time on Hive rather than dig into it more! Hope you're feeling better.
$PIZZA slices delivered:
samsmith1971 tipped hadrianwild
@tengolotodo(3/15) tipped @hadrianwild
What an inspiring and thought provoking piece of writing it is! It made me value my experiences more. Be they were negative or positive they have added to make me what I am. The people who gave me love or hate, both have their place to form my unique self.
There is no way to escape the effect of weathering. Therefore, the best thing is to embrace what it brings to us.
This morning, #dreemport brought me to this inspiring post.
Have a lovely weekend
Thank you so much, it was great to hear your reaction!
👍
Today is the kind of day when I cry reading posts like this.
It seems to me that you're speaking into my soul...which lately has been debating the "shining" process as I look all over at the cracks and dimples and creases lol
but the tears aren't just for the topic... they're for your writing.
Some days, you just wonder why anything matters. Some days...it just feels like there are a few of us speaking into an ever-growing void.
and then posts like this
So I feel encouraged on a grand scale but also hugged as a 47 year old woman. lol
beautiful post ❤️
and with a name like mine ..I'm sure you can figure out where I belong... lol
When writing I never know who I am talking to or how they will react to what I write, so I just try to write what interests me. It’s wonderful that you took the time and effort to reply like this to let me know that it touched you. Makes it worthwhile. Thank you!
This is a very insightful and thoughtprovoking read. Most times in life, we don't value some experiences. We just let it pass by whereas they are all what makes up what we are today.
Everyone we've come across in our life has an impact. Every experience has an impact but then, we wave them aside. Thank you very much for posting this. It's a very beautiful read 💕
#dreemerforlife
And thank you very much for your great comment.
Every line or is it wrinkle tells a story.
Love this, your words are spot on. It is the kind of thinking I have a habit of doing!
Brightened my morning that's for sure. Popped in from dreemport today #dreemerforlife
!PIZZA
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Many thanks for popping in and letting me know you liked it. Your comment made me check...my wrinkles are multi-lined!
Beauty is not hidden in the perfect face or the perfect picture but precisely in the imperfections. Each imperfection makes everything unique and beautiful. Truly amazing post!
Many, many thanks!!!