Photo of the Week

Week Nine

Photo Title: Wall of Dreams

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel t3i

Lens: 18-55mm

Shutter Speed: 1/160

F-Stop: 4.5

Focal Length: 18mm

Location: Asheville, NCThis is James. He is homeless. Behind him is one of the many quirks of Asheville, NC. It’s a wall titled “Before I Die” and it has hundreds of blank spaces that people can write in “before I die I want to ______” It’s like a public bucket list. I always enjoy reading the wall when I’m walking around Asheville, and this particular day I stopped to read it and this homeless man approached me. He offered me a piece of chalk to write down my dream (It’s always hard for me to come up with life goals when I’m put on the spot like that, but that’s not my point).

We proceeded to chat while I was thinking. I don’t usually talk to strangers, and I don’t usually talk to homeless people. I don’t think it’s because I’m a terrible person, I think it’s just a way that we as the middle white class have conditioned ourselves; it isn’t just me that doesn’t talk to the homeless, and that is unfortunate (but that’s a whole other soap box that I will not get on now). But he introduced himself as James. He told me the man who created the wall had died recently, and James has taken it upon himself to be its new caretaker. He is holding a towel in his hand in the photo, which he uses to wipe off inappropriate things that people have written, and make room for new wishes. He used it to wipe me a spot to write my wish.  He keeps track of the tiny bits of chalk and gives them to tourists to add their dreams.

He doesn’t have a home or a warm place to sleep at night, but he takes care of this wall. It’s not a big deal to most, and it’s not a difficult job, but it’s what he has found joy in doing.

And that’s why I love this photo–It’s about something that’s simple to everyone but James. For James this is something bigger than a wall. It is his purpose, and everyone needs purpose.