life is fragile revisited thoughts about our connections with each other

I wrote a blog entry a couple of weeks ago called Life is fragile.  It was about my friend who had  stomach cancer being in hospice.  Julie died last Friday evening. I cried. Such a loss of a gentle spirit and a stunning talent.  Her husband made the announcement on Facebook and I was surprised to read  all the comments from people all over the world who loved Julie and her work.  It made me realize how we impact one another on a global scale now with the internet and social media.  I wonder if Julie would have been surprised to see how many people took the time to write something beautiful and comforting to her family.  I wonder if she would be surprised to see how deeply her presence and her work affected people she only knew through her Etsy shop or the internet.

Then I began to wonder how many people know about me and my work.  Does my work leave a lasting impact on other people’s lives?  I know that my work as a psychotherapist has impacted many people and I hope for the good.  But does my artistic work also leave a footprint in the life of others?  I suppose that seeing one of my photographs in my Etsy shop or on Facebook or Fickr sends a fleeting impression to the viewer’s mind about some remembered moment in their lives.  And that is probably enough, to offer that moment of pleasure, wonder or reminiscence to a person that I know or that I have never met.  We all seem to be influencing each other all the time with our shared experiences and images in this time of instant communication.   The world is changing and becoming more inclusive.  The stunning amount of comments about Julie on the internet is a concrete example of how we are all changing and becoming more connected in ways that I could not have imagined even 15 year ago.