"Do this; don't do that. Can't you read the sign?"
...say the lyrics that kept running through my mind in Alaska.
It seems like every time I turned around in Alaska, I noticed a sign once I recovered from my reeling fits over the indescribable scenery. I haven't had 16 days in a row to think about any one thing in a LONG time, so it's interesting that my observations second to the nature I came to explore were the signs I noticed. I finally came to the epiphany that signs are an ultimate form of communication. They allow us to communicate a vital message in a succinct way, and they are the ultimate form of consideration and respect for others because they communicate that message to someone the author of the sign will probably never meet yet honored enough to pass that vital message along to whether from the same generation or from generations to come.
For example, signs like the etchings on this rock were left by an ancient civilization, and scholars are still trying to figure out what the artists/authors of the signs on the rocks were trying to tell each other. This much is obvious: they WERE trying to tell each other SOMETHING by leaving the signs.
Some signs are obviously meant to inform. Wondering is a good thing, especially in an art gallery like the one in the Museum of Alaska we went to in Fairbanks. It's also nice to know the artist's purpose in creating a piece of art. First, who knew that outhouses are still a reality in much of Alaska? Second, I got to have one experience visiting this sculpture while I wondered what it was and an entirely different experience once I knew the artist's intent.
Speaking of experiences, some signs left me wondering what experiences the sign artist/author must have had to result in the signs they made. These were from the Forest Fair in Girdwood and a small hotel in Talkeetna.
Some signs just make me laugh because of their unique perspectives....
...and some signs just make me laugh.
Some signs teach me, in this case the origin of the word 'cache'....
...and some signs inspire me, like these two signs from Denali National Park.
 |
| Add caption |
Some signs make me wonder....
Some signs help ME remember where I've been or where I'm going....
It's interesting how some signs resonate with me and make me wish I could meet the person who must have felt exactly the same way I do. Then I think that in a way, I HAVE met them because they left a sign for me, a message for me, in this meeting place...so even though we never met physically, we did communicate. They talked to me through the sign; I got the message.
I challenge you to pay attention to the signs others have left for you. It honors those who came before and the messages they went to the trouble to leave for us. Give thought to the signs you will leave for others.
Finally, my favorite sign and the message I'd like to pass along from my adventures in Alaska:
No comments:
Post a Comment
We would love to hear from you! Please remember that we are people too, so think kindly on us all!