July 2 - Photographs

My friend, Ron, is getting ready to put his home on the market and downsize to something smaller. Consequently, he is in the process of clearing out the excesses from his home of umpteen dozen years. The most difficult of the decisions he is making in this process is the sorting through of old photographs. Which ones should he keep and which ones go to the discard pile?

Ron has sight challenges. He told me that most of his photos are very blurry and this is not due to the lack of skill of the photographer. Ron’s eyes just don’t see detail any more.  However, of the few pictures that he can make out, they bring back memories.

I understand Ron’s difficulty. I have a shoe box full of old photos. I can’t really see any of them and yet I hate to throw them out. I know that many have special memories...but which ones? When Lyle describes the picture to me, I can usually remember the occasion. This is often what happens when I post old travel photos on this blog.

I think that the best photos are photos where I keep the image in my mind.  Maybe when COVID is behind us, I will arrange a family day where everyone can sort through my old photos. The ones that family choose not to keep might well end up in my own discard pile.