Terry
I have made a point of automatically introducing myself to seat-mates at classes, lectures, etc. as part of my commitment to being more outgoing and at-ease with strangers. It has worked well and today it opened up a friendly conversation with this man who was sitting beside me in my lifelong learning class: The History of the English Language. Meet Terry.
Terry had a friendly manner and cautioned me against spilling my coffee while I was settling in and shedding my parka. A natural conversational gambit in my lifelong learning classes is “Are you taking other courses?” Terry told me he’s taking a class on drawing in addition to this course and he’s enjoying it. As we prepared for the lecture to begin, I started realizing that Terry’s carefully put-together dressy-casual appearance, warm open face, and friendly manner might make him an ideal subject for my Human Family project. When he reached for a scarf to wrap around his neck during the lecture I made up my mind. I knew he would be a great subject.
When break time arrived, I took a chance and told him about my photography project which has been such a source of pleasure and inspiration for me since I retired and told him I thought he would make an excellent subject and I’d like to photograph him in the back of the room near some windows which provided natural light. He was interested in the project and, of course, a bit surprised. I told him I realized it was an unexpected request, but such is the project that I’m usually taking people by surprise but it has been a lot of fun and I’ve been surprised that so many people are happy to participate when the see my contact card and hear what I’m doing. He smiled and joked that so many people have such poor judgment to agree. “Yes” I said. “Amazing.” “Sure” he said. “I guess I’ll do it.”
I told Terry I’d taken the liberty of doing a selfie in the back of the room near a window prior to class and was pleased with the results and announced my plan to lead him to that spot and do a few quick photos during the stretch break. Once there, I explained the concept and Terry positioned himself where I requested and we did a few photos with and without his glasses. I hated to ask him to remove his glasses because they had such a stylish look but I was concerned about reflections. I wanted his necktie to show in at least one photo and took the liberty of adjusting his scarf to let it show. I joked “I’m impressed that you still wear a tie, even in retirement. It’s a nice touch and not many people would do that.” We were briefly interrupted when a friend of my wife’s from many years ago came up to say hi and said she had just seen my name on the attendance list. We had a quick hug and agreed to meet after class to catch up on the news of the last ten years.
Returning to our seats, I learned that Terry is 71, a retired Family Doctor whose practice had been here in his home town of Toronto. There wasn’t much time to learn more about him because class resumed at that point but I experienced him as a particularly “grounded” person who had a warm, friendly manner which I am sure made him very good at his profession of caring for his patients. My thoughts drifted to imagining the things he has seen and experienced in his career. Medical doctors occupy a special place in society and are given the role of bearing witness to life’s joys and tragedies. They see lives brought into the world and they see lives leaving the world. They cure the sick and they comfort those for whom there is no cure. His must have been a stressful career, and yet I could sense that he was at ease with himself and some conversation later confirmed my impression that he feels great satisfaction in a work life well-spent.
Our conversation touched on politics and the adult learning course we are taking. I asked how his transition to retirement had gone (a frequent topic of conversation among classmates) and he said he’s enjoying it fully. “I could have continued longer and was still enjoying my work, but my plan had been to retire sometime around 69 or 70 and I was fortunate enough to be able to afford to do so. I wanted to have some time to enjoy other interests and that’s what I’m doing.” When I asked what type of interests he’s pursuing he said “Nothing too dramatic. Reading, music, travel, these courses... and family.” How nice that he, like I, can now indulge some of these interests - many of which probably had to sit on the back-burner during a busy career.
Thank you Terry, for being such a pleasant seat-mate today and for agreeing to join my photography project: The Human Family on Flickr.
This is my 168th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.
Terry
I have made a point of automatically introducing myself to seat-mates at classes, lectures, etc. as part of my commitment to being more outgoing and at-ease with strangers. It has worked well and today it opened up a friendly conversation with this man who was sitting beside me in my lifelong learning class: The History of the English Language. Meet Terry.
Terry had a friendly manner and cautioned me against spilling my coffee while I was settling in and shedding my parka. A natural conversational gambit in my lifelong learning classes is “Are you taking other courses?” Terry told me he’s taking a class on drawing in addition to this course and he’s enjoying it. As we prepared for the lecture to begin, I started realizing that Terry’s carefully put-together dressy-casual appearance, warm open face, and friendly manner might make him an ideal subject for my Human Family project. When he reached for a scarf to wrap around his neck during the lecture I made up my mind. I knew he would be a great subject.
When break time arrived, I took a chance and told him about my photography project which has been such a source of pleasure and inspiration for me since I retired and told him I thought he would make an excellent subject and I’d like to photograph him in the back of the room near some windows which provided natural light. He was interested in the project and, of course, a bit surprised. I told him I realized it was an unexpected request, but such is the project that I’m usually taking people by surprise but it has been a lot of fun and I’ve been surprised that so many people are happy to participate when the see my contact card and hear what I’m doing. He smiled and joked that so many people have such poor judgment to agree. “Yes” I said. “Amazing.” “Sure” he said. “I guess I’ll do it.”
I told Terry I’d taken the liberty of doing a selfie in the back of the room near a window prior to class and was pleased with the results and announced my plan to lead him to that spot and do a few quick photos during the stretch break. Once there, I explained the concept and Terry positioned himself where I requested and we did a few photos with and without his glasses. I hated to ask him to remove his glasses because they had such a stylish look but I was concerned about reflections. I wanted his necktie to show in at least one photo and took the liberty of adjusting his scarf to let it show. I joked “I’m impressed that you still wear a tie, even in retirement. It’s a nice touch and not many people would do that.” We were briefly interrupted when a friend of my wife’s from many years ago came up to say hi and said she had just seen my name on the attendance list. We had a quick hug and agreed to meet after class to catch up on the news of the last ten years.
Returning to our seats, I learned that Terry is 71, a retired Family Doctor whose practice had been here in his home town of Toronto. There wasn’t much time to learn more about him because class resumed at that point but I experienced him as a particularly “grounded” person who had a warm, friendly manner which I am sure made him very good at his profession of caring for his patients. My thoughts drifted to imagining the things he has seen and experienced in his career. Medical doctors occupy a special place in society and are given the role of bearing witness to life’s joys and tragedies. They see lives brought into the world and they see lives leaving the world. They cure the sick and they comfort those for whom there is no cure. His must have been a stressful career, and yet I could sense that he was at ease with himself and some conversation later confirmed my impression that he feels great satisfaction in a work life well-spent.
Our conversation touched on politics and the adult learning course we are taking. I asked how his transition to retirement had gone (a frequent topic of conversation among classmates) and he said he’s enjoying it fully. “I could have continued longer and was still enjoying my work, but my plan had been to retire sometime around 69 or 70 and I was fortunate enough to be able to afford to do so. I wanted to have some time to enjoy other interests and that’s what I’m doing.” When I asked what type of interests he’s pursuing he said “Nothing too dramatic. Reading, music, travel, these courses... and family.” How nice that he, like I, can now indulge some of these interests - many of which probably had to sit on the back-burner during a busy career.
Thank you Terry, for being such a pleasant seat-mate today and for agreeing to join my photography project: The Human Family on Flickr.
This is my 168th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.