I have a lot to be thankful for. I know you’re reading this, but I just said that out loud to myself. In the midst of being laid off and not quite knowing what comes next, I’m aware of how much I have to be thankful for.
Looking around my basement office (read studio), I thought there were a ton of things within 10 feet around me that remind me to be thankful, to reflect, and to be mindful of the right now.
Here are a few:
Massachusetts-based photographer Bill Burke has been someone whose work I’ve admired and I consider a friend. A few years ago as he began organizing his archives, he began sending me duplicate work prints from Kentucky and West Virginia. The first one arrived not in a rigid envelope with DO NOT BEND all over it, but rather a naked print with my address written out on the back, a stamp in the upper right corner, and a note from Bill which read: “To Roger, because you give a shit. - Bill.” I’m thankful Bill knows me.
My Pawpaw, Cecil May, worked underground in the coal mines for 42 years. He was a small, wiry man who loved the Cincinnati Reds and the Kentucky Wildcats. He died from black lung disease while I was still in high school. He was 62 years old. In the mines, the foreman’s certificate is often referred to as “bossin’ papers.” Mawmaw Freda used to say, “You might be the boss at the mines, but I’m the boss of this house.” I’m grateful to have a piece of this family history.
Ten years ago, my friend Ken Abbott made this beautiful book, Useful Work, about Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Western North Carolina. Every frame in this work is a study of texture, composition, and light. I’m grateful to have been able to turn to this book many times over the years to remind myself about what’s possible when you are able to see with your whole heart.
You can see from the tabs that this book by Dorothy Allison made an impression on me. It’s small size is misleading as it carries the weight of a cinder block or two on your chest. “Two or three things I know for sure and one of them is that telling the story all the way through is an act of love,” she writes. I’m thankful for the words she shared with the world. We are better for them.
I can’t remember when I fell in love with Field Notes notebooks, but all these years later, I still carry one with me just about wherever I go. They fit in my shirt pocket or back pocket and have been all over place with me. The County Fair edition is one of my favorites. I’ve never been great with names, but Field Notes have helped me write them down, make sketches, grocery lists, and everything in between. I’m grateful for the art they’ve become in and of themselves.
Lastly, I’m grateful for my new turkey mount 7-panel hat from The Barnes Store. I probably have a hat problem, but when I saw this one I had to order it. Just one more, right? Right.
I hope you’re enjoying this fall weather wherever you are and that you can take a look around see a few things you’re grateful for. I’m sure you won’t have to look far.
- Roger
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“Bossin papers” that’s great
Sorry to hear your were laid off. I saw your IG post in front of the marquee that you always shoot, and wasn't sure of the background in the caption. Laid off? Retired? Moving? I think we about the same age - and I got zipped in January from my corporate communications job of 21 years. Luckily, I made it to my pension date, and am now halfway through my severance package. I still have a lot of decisions ahead of me - with Agism boldfaced and underlined at the top of the list - but we'll see what happens. I, too, am pretty thankful for a lot. I left my job in May and had a great summer with my kids and dogs. Now having a really good Fall. Happy to chat if need anything. Take it easy and enjoy those 10 things. I know there's probably more, too.