If You're Like Me...You Can Feel This Photo

 I turned the corner in an abandoned hallway as loved ones gathered in another room. I loved the scene before me so I snapped a photo. Today, I reviewed the pictures I took yesterday and the hallway returned to me.

I can feel this photo.

I can almost smell it, too.

I grew up in the Intermountain West, a peculiar place, both in geography and culture...especially culture. If you're like me, you've stood where I did, even if it were in a completely different building. You've seen this shot, you've walked on the carpet, passed the coat rack complete with wooden hangers, glanced at the bulletin board at the calendar of events. You also know what's inside in the empty rooms and what you'll find at the end of the hall.

It's as if you're home, even if you don't particularly like the home.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen this view, at different times, in hundreds of buildings. And if you've experienced a childhood like me, or spend much time in these buildings, you have, too.

Even looking at the shot now, I'm back in the smallish hall surrounded by memories.