On Looking, Together
17 Sep 2013
*Hi from Greece! When I told Eric I was planning to ask some beloved people to write guest posts for the time when we’d be away, I thought for a second and said, “Maybe you would like to write one?” And he did! And it is so beautiful. Eric says that he thinks people may be getting a *slightly* biased opinion of him from the blog because I am always singing his praises…but now you can read for yourself and see that I exaggerate nothing! I am so thankful for my sweet, compassionate, intelligent, and fun-loving husband.*
taps mic. Is this thing on?
Hey everyone, this is Eric. Wow, the lights are bright out here. I just want to start by saying how much I enjoy all of your comments here on the blog. Usually I prefer to work in the back and stay pretty quiet–this is Cameron’s show, after all—but I really appreciate all of you being here.
When I was in college, I started listening to an indie band from Brooklyn called Bishop Allen. They never got that big break, and probably lots of other bands had more critical acclaim, but I liked their direct, joyful melodies and non-ironic lyrics. I put this song on the first mix CD I made for Cameron, and we’ve been listening to them together ever since.
A few months after we started dating, Bishop Allen released a new album. One of its songs, “The Ancient Commonsense of Things,” features the following lyrics:
“There are those who know to look
to all the crannies and the nooks
and when I found you did, what it meant to me”
Those lines clearly distilled a quality of Cameron’s that I have loved and wondered at since we first met: her attentiveness to beauty in all of the world. The things Cameron notices have been many of our “third things:” and in looking together, we have grown together.
Cameron introduced me to whole new neighborhoods in Berkeley and Oakland that I had never been to. We walked streets new to me, enjoyed restaurants I’d never noticed, and smelled flowers I had passed by.
I saw how attention and imagination could transform mundane objects in a thrift store bin into art, or at least everyday beauty; and how that creative process was uplift in itself.
At Cameron’s urging, we travelled and saw new places together, exploring with fresh eyes side by side: Napa and Sonoma, Albuquerque, Hawai’i, Aspen, Palomar, Ventura, Idyllwild, Monterey, Big Bear, San Diego, Istanbul…
Patiently, we built a new life together in Pasadena.
And now, here on the blog, Cameron continues to show me our shared experiences from new perspectives. Reading those posts, and getting to know her yet a little better, is a highlight of my every morning. I hope it is a tenth as meaningful for all of you as it is for me. As the song says, there is a joyful common sense in our life together:
“And book to shelf
and foot to shoe
and likewise I belong to you”
Sep 17, 2013 @ 04:22:00
I know from my own experience as a scientist that I can dig deep into the details of a laboratory experiment or focus with laser sharpness on the fine points of a technical report and yet miss a million details just walking down the street. I too am amazed how Cameron can find things in our everyday lives and bring them to our attention with new meaning.
Sep 29, 2013 @ 14:48:26
Thank you so much! I learn so much from you scientists too:) You both have enriched my life in countless ways!
Sep 17, 2013 @ 04:56:45
The professor must say that he enjoys reading these posts very much as well! (Great guest blog, Eric!)
Sep 29, 2013 @ 14:48:51
Thank you! I was really touched by this one as well:)
Sep 17, 2013 @ 06:47:56
Oh my goodness, Cameron, your boy has made me cry this morning with his inexpressibly beautiful words and ideas. I have told you before and will tell you again, WE ARE GOING TO KEEP THIS BOY! I have never once thought people were getting a “biased” view of him. I know you are in Greece, but can’t you post this to FB so I can shamelessly brag about him?
Sep 29, 2013 @ 14:50:00
He makes me cry too:) I know, he is too sweet for words! Thanks for marrying Daddy, so I grew up with the highest possible standard of what a husband and father should be:) I still can’t believe I snagged Eric, but he seems to like me a lot, so I guess luck goes both ways:)
Sep 17, 2013 @ 07:59:19
“Reading those posts, and getting to know her yet a little better, is a highlight of my every morning.” I wholeheartedly concur, Eric. Spending time with Cameron has taught me to see the world with a new set of eyes as well, and I rarely spot something unique or beautiful without thinking of how much she would enjoy seeing it and I would enjoy sharing it with her. Not unlike the time I spent as a father to a curious young son.
Sep 17, 2013 @ 18:42:49
Yes, Dad of E and A ( and now C) but I’ll bet your young boys didn’t squeal, jump up and down and make faces. All at once! Please know I have shamelessly bragged about yours and Annette’s ( and now my) precious son all day long.
Sep 18, 2013 @ 06:27:24
As our neighbors the Youngs (who spent some time with our kids while they were in Aspen) so accurately commented: “Cameron has a very expressive face!”
Sep 29, 2013 @ 14:58:20
Hahaha! Yes, especially if riding in a huge tractor that articulates directly under the seat! 🙂
Sep 29, 2013 @ 14:57:36
You guys are too sweet! All four of you!
Sep 29, 2013 @ 14:56:55
Thank you so much for this sweet comment, and for all the beautiful noticing that you do. I have so loved getting to share so many of those moments with you, whether it’s frogs on the farm, gigantic dragonflies, or enormous pinecones and wild deer:) Love you!
Sep 17, 2013 @ 09:23:33
Very sweet – it’s uplifting to ‘look’ at love 🙂
Sep 29, 2013 @ 14:57:16
Thank you! He is a keeper and one of the greatest gifts of my life;)
Sep 18, 2013 @ 14:27:06
Good to see Krug has let you out to say a paragraph or two! It sounds like her powers of exploration & observation must’ve made you a better astronomer! 🙂
Sep 29, 2013 @ 15:42:03
Indeed! Thank you!
Sep 20, 2013 @ 19:18:00
This post makes me want to go hug your Dad. Aww, why not? My heart is very happy. Kiss, Hug, Love you–tell that to each other!
Sep 29, 2013 @ 15:44:29
And you to each other! 🙂
Sep 21, 2013 @ 12:46:55
This is so sweet. Of course I had to press “play” and listen to the song. And it was a very refreshing and neat experience to have a “soundtrack” for a blog post while I read. The additional quotes you added in toward the end even matched up with the song as I was reading/listening. So neat.
Sep 29, 2013 @ 15:45:24
Aw, how awesome! Thank you!