Don’t let stories fade
We are running out of time. Our elders carry the wisdom of a slower and more intentional era - when spoken stories and human bonds mattered over swipes and likes. Their lessons may soon be gone forever.
Don is an 89 year-old Navajo elder who graciously agreed to be our model for the Totem Pole shoot at a recent workshop I attended in Monument Valley, in Navajo Nation, Arizona. More incredible than the photos, were his stories.
Having personally been through much trauma, I asked him:
"How do you find peace and joy again, when it seems like life's challenges keep slamming you in waves?"
With his arm around my shoulder, Don drew in the sand. Heavens & mother earth. "Di-ne" (the people) - all tribes are connected, with Navajo at the center, but originating in Asia. He later sang a traditional song for us. Finally, he left me with this truth:
“There is beauty above us, beauty below us, beauty behind us, and beauty ahead of us.”
May we continue to unlock the untold human stories on the other side of our lens.
We have more in common than our differences.
Hó-zhóó-jí ("living in harmony with oneself, nature, and others").
Thank you to Monument Valley Safari for Don and the guides, and pro photographer sensei team of Cody, J.J., and Jonny for leading the workshop!
