Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Eyes are the Mirrors


















EYES ARE THE MIRROR (MIRRORS) OF THE SOUL


"A person's thoughts can be ascertained by looking in his or her eyes. The proverb has been traced back in English to 'Regiment of Life' (1545). But the proverb was known much earlier. Cicero (106-43 B.C.) is quoted as saying, 'Ut imago est animi voltus sic indices oculi' (The face is a picture of the mind as the eyes are its interpreter). The Latin proverbs, 'Vultus est index animi' or 'Oculus animi index,' are usually translated as 'The face is the index of the mind.' The French say, 'Les yeux sont le miroir de l'dme (The eyes are the mirror of the soul). 'The eyes are the window of the soul' is a variant form of the proverb..." From "Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

My eyes are puffy, bloodshot and tired. They tell the story of a co-sleeping, breastfeeding Mama whose 16 mos old babe has not slept through the night since he was born. Last night I was so exhausted that my body ached, I couldn't eat. I took a motrin and went to bed while Satch and Robert ate dinner. I was always one who went to bed and woke up exactly 8 hrs later...no alarm, happy as a peach! That seems like ages ago. My husband, on the other hand, was never a good sleeper and wakes up frequently at night...makes himself chocolate milk which he slurps with a spoon, reads or pecks away at the computer. When my husband began routinely snoring, he graciously moved to the sofa. I can still hear him...through TWO closed doors. (Dare I mention that I once broke up with a guy because he snored?) And now I have this amazing little boy whom I love madly, but he has his dad's poor sleep habits. I am sure there is a spiritual lesson here somewhere, but I'm too exhausted to figure it out.

Today while Satch napped, I started working on my new project...photographing eyes (the Iris to be precise). Above is a self-portrait...I haven't perfected it yet.

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posted by Wendy at 7:14 PM

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

that is SUCH an AWESOME photograph... and such a creative and unique project! bravo. looking forward to seeing more! great concept. love the words behind it all, too.

wishing you some good zzz's at some point. like I had said back in my interview- although it's not always possible to take the time to do, grab the nap with the babe whenever you can. it really is such a needed and deserved little "treat"... I've been taking full advantage as many times as possible, even if I have a list of to-do's- I nurse her, and see she's falling asleep for a nap, and say forget it to the list, just stay snuggled with her and pass out! I never regret not getting things done, it's well worth it!

and happy belated birthday! and wishing you luck with your move! lots of life happening! (but still fit in a nap!)

10:43 PM  
Blogger Julie said...

hey.. did you hear?? Crouse is making new mom's sign a form saying they WON'T co-sleep due to "the increase risk of SIDS".. is that not the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard? How do you suppose they are going to enforce that.. peep through your window for a midnight check?
UGGHHHH!!

8:17 AM  
Blogger Wendy said...

Thanks for the tip, Jules. I will surely post on this in the near future. I must investigate.......

8:51 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Funny that you are doing a series on eyes.

My eyes have been bothering me for over a month now. The right eye became seriously inflamed due to being dry and because it is damaged from too many ultraviolet rays. Then, last week I couldn't close my left eyelid. It turns out I have Bell's Palsy. It's slowly getting better but it is no fun. Just made me appreciate my eyes even more.

It figures that even though I hadn't been in touch with you for awhile, we would be having similar obssessions.

Are you in D.C. yet? Was the move smooth? Are you getting settled?

Oh, and I have a technical question: What kind of camera do you have? I have cheap digital point and shoot that I am already feeling limited by. I used to have a manual and then spend hours in the darkroom. I wonder if I will one day make digital images that were as nice as my amateur manual ones.

Margaret

4:13 AM  

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