Thursday, May 23, 2013

Stop, traveler...


One of the great gifts that letterboxing has given me over the last few years is the reminder to slow down and enjoy what is going on around me.  So often I get caught up with the speed of life on and don't take the time to enjoy the experiences.  This is a great recipe to end up on your deathbed without really feeling like you lived your life...

Some of my favourite letterboxes have taken me to cemeteries across Canada and the USA.  I've had really great experiences with letterboxes in these locations.  More than anything, stopping to remember that we have short lives to live has been really good for making me pause and smell the roses.

Something that has been peculating in my head regarding this has been to create a large cemetery letterbox series showcasing these wonderful open spaces as well as reminding myself to stop and enjoy the world.  The first of these boxes was actually planted down in Key West last October.  A number will be planted for Plant a Letterbox Day, 2013, and I intend to keep planting these boxes as I continue to travel around Ontario and abroad.

And so I was really happy when I bumbled across a cemetery image with "Siste, Viator" written across it. The internet tells me that this phrase was written on roadside Roman tombs... perfect.  I'm a sucker for Latin and found that this translates to "stop, traveler" which I think is a perfect title for this series of letterboxes, to remind myself to stop as I go and enjoy what is around me - and maybe too for others in their travels.

Happy trails...


1 comment:

  1. sometimes, i wish there was a "like" button for your posts. Stop, traveler. what a great way to put it. i love old cemeteries. they are beautiful resting spots. just lovely. we found a great one in West Virginia recently - with a fellow Vermonter as the groundskeeper, who showed us all around.

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