This photograph is of a clock tower near our ferry landing in Symi; I’ve noticed that clock towers are one of the numerous motifs that pop in most everyones photos, alongside pictures of doors, empty paths, chandeliers, and others. Its interesting that our obsession with time (I’d be the first to concede that I have a problem) yields the construction of these towers that everyone can see, as if knowing the time is equal in importance to being reminded of God or something like that (I’m thinking of the comparably tall minarets we observed in Rhodes).
Likewise, the photograph alone is a reminder for our concern with capturing time, freezing it in such a way so we can go back and relive it. There’s an irony of taking a picture of a clock, or any other contraption that regulates time; the action is a way of stopping reality, however the subject matter in the photo reminds you that seconds, minutes, and hours continue to tick away.
But that’s enough of that. One of my biggest realizations on this trip, although it is something that I am still working on, is that I don’t need to continue being afraid of the moment when a good time (such as this moment) ends. I am not suggesting that pictures, blog entries, or any other means of reliving our experience is unimportant, however I’ve come to understand that what matters more is if I am enjoying myself in the present. And photographs and journaling contribute to this understanding, as going back and reflecting on our journeys will inspire happiness at that moment as well. In this sense, I need not worry about time, but rather about making the time I have unforgettable.
My moment in Greece sure felt like one (and it will never be forgotten), yet it was coupled with a (practically) never-ending feeling of happiness and amazement. Consequently, although I will most likely shed a tear before we leave, who could ask for more?
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