On Common Ground

People are not as far apart as it seems; we stare through different windows, shaped by different routines. Sometimes we are flying thirty thousand feet above places like the Midway Drive-in, where the marquee sits between Turkey and Quitaque—fittingly, a midpoint between New York and Los Angeles.

Today I looked back at an image in the archive. It has been sixteen years. Seeing the flag mural this July 4th—our 250th—one notices how it depicts a flag caught in the wind, while the building itself stands in that same wind daily.

The theater holds its ground against the weather and time. The photograph is still, but the structure continues to move, wearing the marks of its history.

Returning to these frames is the work. There is freedom in it, and peace in the simple act of witnessing. One hopes for continued reflection, and that the day brings clarity.