Brett Illig
In search of the good, the true, and the beautiful. Here are some moments along the way.
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The Swiss Alps from Another Time
Every year during the last week of January the Swiss village of Kandersteg transforms itself to the time period around the turn of the century, namely 1884-1914. The week is known as “Belle Epoque”. I have always secretly wanted to live during this time…the fashion, the decorum, the culture, the etiquette, and it all comes alive in the beautiful scenery of the Swiss Alps.
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Not Just Another Day
It was the fourth Thursday in November and there was a chill in the air. The leaves had changed and in some cases the trees were already bare awaiting the cold winter months that lie ahead. It was a school day. It was a work day. It was just another day in Switzerland. But it wasn’t just another day for us Americans…it was Thanksgiving. Last year was the first year that we spent Thanksgiving in Switzerland. It was a surreal day for me personally because instead of attending the local high school football game in the morning I dropped the kids off at school. Instead of spending the day with…
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The Image
(The picture is inside of the Duomo di San Martino Cathedral in Lucca, Italy) There is an image that gives me comfort, I love it with every ounce of my being. Like a teddy bear or a blanket, I grip it tightly and bury my thoughts into its disturbing appearance. I have been drawn to its presence all of my life, I love this image with every ounce of my being. There is an image that I resist, I despise it with every ounce of my being. Like a teddy bear or a blanket, I am drawn to the comfort that I feel in my avoidance, I am addicted to the…
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The Story of Paris
There is something about the telling of a story that captures our imagination. Maybe it is the anticipation of discovering the plot and then feeling the excitement of watching it unfold. Or maybe it is the landscapes, culture, and time frame in which the story takes place allowing us to enter into these places just for a moment. Yet above all else, it seems to me that the characters themselves arrest us the most. Their personalities. Their virtues. Their vices. Their achievements and their failures. We love the characters because deep down we know that we are taking part in our own stories. Therefore we imagine ourselves within their roles…
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Buildings
“I call architecture frozen music” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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The Gray
For as long as I can remember I have always had a desire to be older. Maybe it comes from my tendency to avoid the present, or maybe it is a desire for what I view to be simpler times ahead. Either way, I often think about what my life might be like 30 to 40 years from now. Turning another year older over the weekend brought me physically closer to this reality, and yet, it hasn’t extinguished the desire. In some ways celebrating my birthday has only further ignited my desire for simplicity. A desire to be at peace within the gray. If we pay attention to our soul,…
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Feeling the Falls
Photos were taken at Trümmelbach Falls in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. They are considered to be the largest underground waterfalls in Europe. Growing up I remember thinking that my tendency to be introspective was a deficiency, almost a sign of weakness. So much so that in certain circles, especially participating in sports, I often felt less masculine. For I had bought into the “men don’t feel, men don’t cry, men don’t show emotion” mantra. I remember feeling like I always had to turn off my thoughts but I never could. As a result, my natural tendencies to feel and think brought about many insecurities. Today I am less insecure about it but…
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Love Is
We use love in many of our sayings. We attach love to all kinds of emotions and feelings. We believe we love others when we are satisfied in the ways we order them to our world. We do these things believing we know what love is. We do these things believing we are in control. It is a natural thing I suppose to try to control the very thing we desire most, because in some ways, we want to believe that having control will make us safe and secure. Safe from pain and free from feeling empty. But somehow we know better. Somehow deep down we know that love can’t…
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Opposites
It’s summer. Which means less structure. Late nights. Travel. And time to enjoy the warmth of the sun. For many of us we have spent the last few months counting the days until the first day of summer. Yet, after spending one week with our children in the house all day, it can also be the time when we count the days until school begins again. I am currently experiencing the second summer in Switzerland comprised of these types of days with my boys. Days in which I am both very grateful for and don’t ever want to change. For I know it is time that I will never get…
