Anyone who knows me, knows I love photography. Particularly travel and documentary.
Back in Covid times, when we weren’t able to travel, I started taking more pictures closer to home and documenting my day. I don’t share this regular, mundane beauty daily, but I recently read some wise person’s opinion that this is where life happens.
The more I think about this, the truer it feels. There is beauty in the day-to-day, and some of our best ideas and experiences happen when we aren’t trying so hard.
So about this leaf. I saw it while walking Fudge this morning. It’s dead, but still beautiful.
Not unlike my son’s pancreas. It doesn’t work but it is still part of his ecosystem. It is part of him, but just like the tree this leaf fell from, it alone doesn’t make a whole beautiful, inspiring tree.
My son’s pancreas doesn’t function like the majority of pancreases. It doesn’t function at all, but that is ok. Hosting a non-functioning pancreas comes with its own set of challenges for sure, but it is no less beautiful, and we do not love him or his pancreas any less. Just like leaves.
And here’s the thing. People actually like fallen leaves more than green ones a lot of the time. They are beautiful colors, they give a satisfying crunch when you walk on them, they have a beautiful earthy smell, they signify many festivals and celebrations, and they give nature a special look and feel that not even living leaves can achieve.
So if you happen to have Type1 Diabetes, or maybe you are a caretaker like me who has a child with a fallen pancreas, love that malfunctioning pancreas. It is beautiful, and just one part of the whole.
