About Me

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Jim Croteau lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan with his partner of 31 years, Darryl, and their two Labrador retrievers. He grew up gay and Catholic and white in the southern United States in the 1960’s and 70’s and has spent his adult life in small non-coastal cities, mostly in the Midwest. He loved his mother very much. He began writing poetry in May 2012 at first to cope with life in times of aging and then, well, he sorta caught the poetry bug. He is still working as a professor in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology at Western Michigan University.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

On contemplative photography and impermanence

I did another contemplative photograph walk Sunday in downtown Kalamazoo.  It is a great place to walk and see. And I do feel the practice part of this activity--the focusing on what is in front me in a much fuller way than my monkey mind usually allows. During this walk, the shadows were amazing.  And seeing them, one at time, did bring me to a place I know occasionally in meditation.

I have an old friend who was diagnosed with a fairly serious cancer. We haven't seen each other much in the three decades I have known her, so I can't say we are close. But I have always registered pretty strongly with the way she sees the world and what "right action" is for us human beings.  She is doing an amazing job of writing about her experiences with her illness and treatment. She is experiencing impermanence, and the related sanctity of being in the present moment, in a larger way than I ever.  I am inspired (and a bit frightened) by what she has been sharing so eloquently.

So I plan to keep practicing even when it's hard.  It's all I know to do.  Here's to meditation and contemplative photography practice



--I hope you enjoy a few of my latest photos.
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