I'm not too sure why this quote by a Mr S.Tallent had such an impact on me. Perhaps it was the insomnia I had developed, the copious amount of strong tea I had digested, or the sheer panic I felt about every aspect of my future.
The final year at uni, especially the last couple of months does strange things to a person.
Every decision about the future that you make appears to have a 'set in stone' sense of finality, making it open to scrutiny and raised eyebrows if it is deemed to be leading you down a yellow brick road rather than a street paved with gold. Fantasies do not withstand the third degree of others and constant questioning will persuade you to wrap dreams tightly in a spotty handkerchief and join the rat race.
But this quote, this seemingly random and irrelevant quote, made me remember why I chose to spend 3 years learning about the importance of documenting. Every person, object and herring, holds some degree of significance.
It may not be lucrative to devote your time searching out fascinating moments of beauty and there are few accolades for capturing these split-second events, but to step out onto those yellow bricks is not completely crazy. To persuade a person otherwise is.
This quote epitomizes the moment I chose to put on my ruby shoes, click my heels and wait for the whirlwind. For that alone, I am forever grateful to Mr Tallent and his herrings, however modest they were.
