Thoughts on Gates and Fences

aging, blogging, challenge, life, photography, , , , , 34 Comments

My childhood home was surrounded by fence, bordered by tall cedars – we had a secret to keep. I learned not to trust neighbours. I learned the price of shame.

At the back of the yard was a gate that opened onto a field and beyond that a wooded area. There I found serenity, connection, and a knowledge that what happened within my father’s fortress was not the totality of life.

I like gates.

I vowed not to need fences, that my life would be an open gate, but that was senseless. I was accessible to anyone who wanted to trample my garden.

Took a few dents and whole lot of pain for me to realize that gates and fences coexist for a reason. Boundaries are healthy, and at certain times, locks are mandatory.

(Photos for Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: fences and gates. Thoughts part of my process. I’ve been obsessively photographing fences and gates recently. I’ve been sketching them too, trying to figure out the draw. Guess now I know why.)

Here’s one of my sketches:

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Permission to write, paint, and imagine are the gifts I gave myself when chronic illness hit - a fair exchange: being for doing. Relevance is an attitude. Humour essential.

34 thoughts on “Thoughts on Gates and Fences”

  8. I really like your sketch – it complements the photographs – and the text so well. It is so interesting how the drive to photograph certain things can really mirror what’s going on inside us. Often leading to a revelatory “aha” moment.

    Liked by 1 person

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  9. Mmmm … I responded but it doesn’t seem to’ve “taken” …
    Want to applaud your perspective – both words/message and that beautiful sketch!

    As tiny microorganisms sneak in under our makeshift fences, thank goodness we can reach outward (over the fences) through connectivity via posts like this!

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. Truth delivered poetically – with a sketch! I like the perspective in both words and image. This is timely … we’re scrambling to fence ourselves in … to keep the virus at safe distance … all the while knowing it’s tiny, invisible, likely slipping right through our best-intended defenses.

    Liked by 2 people

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