We have been doing a lot of relaxing here in Phuket, so much so that I have hardly taken any pictures! (shocking, right? ;))
Despite our sleeping and chilling schedule, we have been doing quite a bit of exercise between using the gym, swimming at the pool and doing walks along the beach when the weather is reasonable. I am determined to get myself slim and trim again. The idea of having a 40’s body someday just does not sit well with me, so I will put it off as long as possible!
Usually as I walk along the beach I just try to enjoy the sound of the crashing waves and people watch. Much of the time I have to pay attention to my feet so as not to step on garbage that has washed up on shore and oftentimes I see scribbles in the sand that people have written and taken photos of. It made me wonder what is so fascinating about writing in the sand or the whole idea of footprints in the sand being romantic. Where did this idea start and why do we continue to perpetuate it?
To me, taking a photo of writing in the sand has no meaning because you could be on any sandy beach and have written that. Without some feature of that particular beach, what makes anyone believe that it is so ‘cool’ to do it? I know I might be killing any sentimentality of the activity, but it’s a curiosity. Also, I have seen people take photos of their footprints in the sand and while I understand from the popular poem about Jesus carrying you (not from the Bible, btw), I still see it as random. Sure, I know all photos are sentimental mostly just to the people/person who take the photos and to no one else, but why this kind of photo over others?
I suppose it is a more complex question of why we take photos of anything and why not of whatever we want, whether scribbles or footprints in the sand. I have no argument for that…just a curiosity towards it. π
-T π
