Deep Life Reflections: Friday Five
Issue 144 - Impermanence
Welcome to Issue 144 of Deep Life Reflections, where each Friday I share reflections on how to live more deeply—through literature, cinema, and the everyday strands of life.
And just like that, the holiday season is here.
Today, I’m traveling to the UK to spend Christmas with my family. It’s a shorter trip this year, the hop from Spain not as taxing as the pilgrimage from the Middle East.
But December 19 holds deeper meaning for another reason.
Two years ago today, I underwent open-heart surgery. During the four-hour surgery, I spent 65 minutes on a heart-lung machine. For 34 of those minutes, my heart was stopped while my damaged mitral valve was removed and replaced with a mechanical one. I spent the next five days in intensive care.
It's a memory that doesn’t fade.
Perhaps in future years, this date will come and go with only a passing thought. But for now, it remains fresh, like laundered white cotton sheets. While I’ve made a complete physical recovery, there are daily reminders: the medication I take at the same time each day, a ritual I need to repeat for the rest of my life.
I feel fortunate though. From the heart surgery support group I’m part of, I know many are still struggling—physically, mentally, or both. Further surgeries, declines in physical capacity, complications with medication and sleep. While I’ve had some minor side effects—occasional dizziness, a few odd sensations—I’m well aware it could be far worse.
This experience reminds me of a Stoic truth: we don’t own anything. Not really.
We strive to possess things, but they can be taken away in a second. It’s true of other things we like to think of as ours—our status, our health, our strength, our relationships, our savings. But we can be dispossessed of them in an instant by fate, by accident, by bad luck, by death. They were never truly ours.
Perhaps it’s better to think of ourselves as custodians rather than owners.
So, what do we own? Just our lives—and not for long. But long enough, if we are lucky.
We also own how we think about what happens to us, how we respond, and how we carry ourselves. There have been clear examples of this in the global headlines this week; especially in Sydney, showing the worst of us, and the best of us. In an unstable world, character can be a constant. Everything flows from that.
This week, I came across several beautiful images from the 2025 Natural Landscape Photography Awards.
I’ve selected five below.
At this especially reflective time of year, when the days are shorter and the light is low (here in the Western Hemisphere anyway), these photos are reminders of the sublime, the fragile, and the fleeting.
They invite us to appreciate our impermanence.
I hope these help you see something you appreciate too.
2025 Natural Landscape Photography Awards
Five ‘Deep Life’ Selections
1. Yuya Wakamatsu. Frozen Silence
Reflections from the photographer:
“Amid a snowstorm in the Japanese mountains, this ancient tree stood veiled in frost and silence. I was drawn to its enduring presence, revealing a quiet strength within the winter mist.”
Doug Hammer. Rocks and Geology
From the Natural Landscape Photography Awards:
"Photographer Doug Hammer submitted this wonderfully eerie and fascinating image into the 2025 NLPA and posthumously took home runner-up in our Rocks and Geology special award. We were saddened to learn of Doug's passing, but hopefully his photography will carry his voice forward from beyond. Godspeed, Doug.”
3. David Shaw. Jurassic World
Reflections from the photographer:
“This type of woodland is quite tricky to photograph, as it is so busy, and generally needs mist or thick fog to do it justice. I didn’t have those conditions [but] just as I was about to start the long trek back to the car, the sun came out and lit up this scene.”
4. Robert Birkby. Curves
Reflections from the photographer:
“A photograph captured at the end of a summer’s day on the Isle of Harris, Scotland. The light was fading and a long exposure time of two minutes was used to smooth the ocean and clouds, which seemed to complement each other perfectly.”
Hanneke Van Camp. Living Landscapes
Reflections from the photographer:
“Ever since I first traveled to Sápmi, I’ve felt deeply connected to its landscapes and culture. It has become my part-time home—a place of incredible beauty but also of fragility, facing threats from climate change and exploitation. Through this project, I hope to share its unique diversity and invite others to reconnect with nature and the values it carries.”
Cover Photo This Week
This week’s cover image is also from the Natural Landscape Photography Awards. This photograph was captured by Joy Kachina in Tasmania, Australia.
A Question for You
What would you see differently if you knew it could vanish tomorrow?
Thanks for reading and reflecting on this seasonal edition. As always, thank you for being part of the Deep Life Journey community.
My friend took this photo of me yesterday in sunny Murcia.🇪🇸
I wish everyone a peaceful and reflective holiday season.
James
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