Life In Fast Forward

I am a huge fan of award-winning cinematographer and producer Louie Schwartzberg. He calls his work "Moving Art," and art it certainly is. I have never been so moved by the videos of flowers in bloom, clouds passing in the sky, or watching an entire 24 hour day go by in one place in a matter of minutes. Time lapse photography has been around for many years. I can remember watching a Walt Disney special on TV when I was young about life in the desert. That was the first time I got to see a cactus bloom before my eyes, and a sand turtle baby hatching. Schwartzberg has taken it to a whole other level. He captures the moments that take our breath away.

I have often wondered if I would like to go back and see my life in time lapse like Louie's flowers. I suppose it would be fun to see my birth, childhood Christmases and birthdays that were special (like the year I got the Shirley Temple doll I asked for and cried for hours in joy), my favorite vacations and such. Would I want to see all my least favorite moments as well? Not so much, which begs the question: "Would I want to see what is ahead of me as well?" It's all very nice to watch a mushroom grow in front of our eyes, or watch a storm rolling in over the prairie, but would I want to see my grandchildren all grown, my daughters with grey hair, and my death? Would I want to see my life in fast forward?

Watching nature come to life before our eyes is a lovely experience, but watching our own lives is a moment by present moment experience. The goal is not to know how it ends. That is like knowing the end of a good book before you get there; you already know who did it, so why bother to read on? By the same thinking, why go after your dreams and experience all that life has to offer if you already know what will happen? Life is about the journey itself, not the end of it. I want to be surprised, just like I was when I got the Shirley Temple doll! I want to cry with joy, jump up and down in excitement, and screech with delight, at the moments that come into my life unexpectedly. That means I also have to be willing to accept the other not-so-happy moments that may come as well. It's called Life's Journey, not Life's Movie.

I'm still going to continue to enjoy Moving Art. It enables me to see things I may never get the chance to see in person. I can experience both the beauty and the fury of Mother Nature in all her glory. I'm also going to do my best to continue to enjoy my own Moving Life, in all of its glory and in all of its fury, except in this case, I get to see it all in person. That beats a movie any time.

And so it is.