The Dreamer's Pen

Back in 2007, I finally treated myself to a digital camera. I’d been saving up for it forever, and when I got that little Fujifilm FinePix A600 digital camera in my hands, it felt like holding a tiny key to a secret world.

I still have it, and yes… I still use it. That camera has been with me through everything, like a quiet, loyal companion.

The very first photo I took on it changed something inside me. It was an October sunrise, and the sky looked like it was on fire! Vibrant reds, oranges, yellows melting together in a way that felt almost unreal. That moment didn’t just capture light, it captured something bigger, something I didn’t even know I was looking for.

For the next eight years, I carried that camera with me everywhere. I snapped photos of everything like the way sunlight caught on a window, leaves twirling in the wind, laughter in a stranger’s smile. Each photo felt like a little spell, a way of saying, “I see this. I notice it. I hold it.” That first sunrise didn’t just start my camera’s memory,it started the way I see the world. It taught me to look closer, to see the magic hiding in plain sight.

Even now, when I pick up that little camera, I feel that same thrill, that same whisper of possibility. That sunrise still lingers, reminding me that magic is always there, waiting to be noticed, waiting to be captured. And maybe, just maybe, it’s a gentle nudge to keep looking, keep noticing, keep believing in the wonder around us.