Comparison is the thief of joy. There may be some dispute as to who originally said it, but there is no doubt as to the wisdom of this brief quote. And I had to remind myself of its truth when I saw today’s Photo Friday “Best of 2014” challenge prompt and began clicking on the links to pictures that other photographers had already shared.
Wow!
Honestly, it was a little – no, make that a LOT – daunting, discouraging, depressing. Here’s me with my little ol’ iPhone camera and zero training, scrolling through screen after screen of professional quality photos taken by obviously accomplished photographers, comparing my fledgling efforts with their vast skills and debating whether I should just skip the challenge altogether.
“Thief of joy” indeed.
Fortunately this quote sprang to mind and helped me to push aside the insecurities brought by comparison with others and just have fun with the prompt. While the photo I’m sharing isn’t necessarily my “best” of 2014, it’s certainly one of my favourites for several reasons – the subject matter, the discovery, the fun I had with editing, and the Christmas surprise that followed – so I hope you enjoy it.
As background, those who know me well know that I adore monkeys in general, and that the Three Wise Monkeys – see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil – are my particular favourites. Until I saw the subjects of my chosen photo in a shop window in Victoria’s Chinatown, I never knew that a fourth do no evil monkey is sometimes included in the set, but was delighted with the discovery. More monkeys is always a good idea, I say!
So here you go – (one of my) best of 2014 photos…
Photo Friday: Best of 2014
…and the special gift from my sister, which I opened with great surprise on Christmas morning, and is now sitting atop my new piano as a cheery mascot and happy memory of a great trip to visit my family in Victoria.
“Do No Evil” monkey
I hope that smiling face will always remind me to shun comparison in favour of embracing joy.
What’s your Best of 2014, photograph or otherwise?
Please share!
