...take a memory...

In what feels like a long distant past, Mister Man and I were walking back home from the park near our Ohio home. Every few moments he would stop dead still, drop to his knees and stare intently at the ground. "Mami, Mami...look, look, look!" And so I did. I too dropped to my knees and stared as the minuscule march of ants wound in and out of sidewalk canyons and over twig mountains. I stared as the petals of a small purple floweret trembled in the gush of wind from Mister Man's breath. I stared at the marbled pebble reflecting millions of rainbows onto the asphalt.

And so we made our slow way home, stopping and kneeling and admiring Nature's handiwork wherever we found it.

The following day we headed to the door to start out on another walk. As I put key to lock, Mister Man started and exclaimed "Mami, bring the camera." So off we went, I holding the camera in one hand and a small sweaty boy-hand in the other.

No sooner had we strolled out of the complex then Mister Man tugged hard on my hand and dropped to the now familiar observer's stance. I bent over to look at the gushing river of water making it's way down a crack in the concrete piling. Mister Man's whole body was tense with concentration, his eyes brilliant and wide as he focused so keenly on this little, minor, insignificant moment. He reached up blindly for my hand, dragging me down closer to his marvel and whispered so as not to disturb Nature herself "Mami, take a memory...make a picture for me."

Nowadays, others laugh at my photo fixations. They roll their eyes when I grab my camera and start clicking. I don't pretend to have talent or skill. I just want to take a memory...