I used to drive by a wooden billboard that was rundown and falling apart. Every time I passed it, I told myself I should stop and take some pictures. An old, weathered billboard would be a nice addition to my iStockphoto portfolio.

One day, I parked nearby and began to take some photos. At first, I was only interested in shots of the entire billboard, but as I started to look closer, I saw some interesting words and letters to photograph. This is one of the images.

At the time, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the tear in the letters, I noticed it later when I was processing my images. I like this picture because of its message. The word “moments” and the tearing away of the letters, symbolizes the fleeting nature of all things—living or not. The moment is here now—but already giving way to the next one.

This quote from Zhuangzi states this in an elegant way: “Mysteriously, wonderfully, I bid farewell to what goes. I greet what comes; for what comes cannot be denied and what goes cannot be detained.”

A few weeks later, the wooden billboard was gone—replaced by a sturdy steel one that looks like it will last forever—but nothing ever does.

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”  – Omar Khayyam

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