Improbable: Unexpected. Not likely to happen. Events of rare coincidences. Hundred to one. Outside chance. Rare. Slim. Unimaginable. Fanciful. Incredible.
As Madame de Stael once said, “In matters of the heart, nothing is true except the improbable.” And nothing could be more accurate when describing my life or that of my husband’s…and even more so, the life we have created together.
As a young college graduate, it was an improbable moment that changed the trajectory of my life and sent me on a plane heading to Aspen, Colorado. And it was another improbable moment that dropped my husband, Jeffrey Aaronson, onto my doorstep and launched me into a career I never could have imagined. And yet another improbable moment that inspired Jeffrey to trade in his job as a biochemist and cancer research specialist to become a photojournalist.
Our worlds blissfully collided more than twenty years ago from this series of unlikely events, and soon after inspired us to begin working side-by-side in the field of photography. As an international photojournalist, Jeffrey traveled around the world on assignment for many of the nation’s top publications—everyone from Time, Newsweek and the National Geographic Society to Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone and The New York Times.
While Jeffrey was off gallivanting around the globe on assignments, I ran our busy stock photo agency, Still Media (formerly named Network Aspen before relocating from Aspen to Santa Barbara). As Director of the agency, I focused on all the marketing, sales and promotion, and also oversaw the staff and coordinated assignments. On a few occasions I also managed to jump on planes with Jeffrey, learning first-hand the challenges involved in not only getting an assignment done, but getting it done well, and on time.
During those two decades, Jeffrey flew over a million miles crisscrossing the globe in pursuit of photographic stories. His passports (all four of them) quickly became colorful art pieces, with stamps from every corner of the world. From the shores of the Pacific to the high peaks of the Himalayas to the heart of the Sahara Desert—he pursued Komodo Dragons in Indonesia, boated down the Yangtze River in China, outmaneuvered the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, and ventured into some of the most remote regions of the world. He also photographed everything from China’s Democracy Movement in Tiananmen Square to Nelson Mandela’s inauguration in South Africa to life behind North Korea’s Iron Curtain.
We shared both an exhilarating and exhausting life—one that was not only fast-paced and unpredictable, but also deeply gratifying. We breathed news, cultures and world events and felt the pulse of the media through the many talented editors we worked with on a daily basis.
Even though it wasn’t unusual for Jeffrey to be on the road for weeks, if not months, at a time. we still managed to live a completely normal, deeply romantic, and rich life together. Well, normal, I suppose if you consider it normal for a wife to count her lucky stars that her husband wasn’t arrested or killed by an oppressive regime. Or that the airplane he was flying on didn’t go down during a hell-on-earth thunderstorm in the Himalayas, or the duct tape on the antiquated Russian helicopter in Cambodia didn’t fall apart in mid-air. Or simply that he didn’t contract malaria or dysentery while working in one of the many hot spots of the world like Africa or East Timor. Or if you consider it normal to master the fine art of suitcase-packing and airport departure routines, or learning how to speak to each other in code when communicating via phone, fax or email in countries in which it wasn’t safe to talk openly.
This blog, The Art of an Improbable Life, is meant to be a head-spinning look back at the simply complicated, fortuitous, improbable life Jeffrey and I have shared in the world of art, photography, writing, and more recently, parenthood. On many levels it’s a love letter to my husband, a celebration in words and pictures of all the extraordinary moments we’ve experienced together, and those he’s captured through his lens as a photographer; and all the stories he’s planted deep in my heart after coming home from assignments in far-flung locations.
My blog will contain moments from THEN that are worth re-telling—particularly some of the improbable moments that helped Jeffrey create several of his most important photographs—and moments unfolding NOW in the lives of two creative types trying to chisel out time to write, create contemporary fine art photo projects, and raise a young child with the same amount of love and tenderness they’ve always given each other and their work.
Thanks for joining me on this journey. I hope you enjoy the adventure and I also hope you’ll join in the conversation by posting your comments, questions or thoughts.
–Becky
I am still reading,still running & walking,with motivation that was planted early on by many…one of whom was you !
Cheers !
Myriam, what a delightful surprise to hear from you! I’m glad to see you are still on the move and enjoying life. Thanks for taking the time to swing by and say hi!
Lovely blog! I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read and seen so far…am going to continue exploring.:-)
Thank you. It’s great to have you along. I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment and let me know you are enjoying my blog.
Becky, I think I will enjoy your blog. You have many interests that are close to my own and your writing kept me reading, unlike other blogs I’ve read and quickly lost interest in due to confusing content or bad grammar. Congratulations on your life. It sounds good…
Cindy,
Welcome! Thanks for following me. I look forward to getting to know you!
Becky, as a fan of your blog, I’ve given you the Liebster Award. Check out today’s post of mine for the details! Congrats
Arindam, that’s very kind of you. Thank you so much for thinking of me!! I have already been given this award by two different people. I don’t want to be greedy so I will have to say “thank you.” and ask you to pass it along to another lucky recipient. I’m sure they will be just as thrilled as I am that you thought of me.
Wow, Becky, I guess we can thank Deborah Batterman again, cuz after you posted a comment on my Words of Thanks blog with the San Diego Writing Women, I discovered your site and was fascinated by the experiences you and your husband have shared. Can’t wait to read more, and maybe some day we can share an Adventure by the Book together.
Thanks for stopping by my blog, Susan! And yes, Deborah Batterman seems to have a magical way of putting people together, doesn’t she? I enjoyed your Literary Thanksgiving, and look forward to reading more of your work. And your Adventure by the Book has me intrigued!
Wonderful, Becky! I’m so glad to meet you via She Writes and your kind visit over to Hooked. I stopped by this morning for a quick look at the Cambodia piece – and was riveted; my supposedly five minute stop-over became 20! I’m looking forward to catching up on your older posts and getting to know you and Jeffrey better. Truly, great writing and a powerful, loving story.
Thanks, Tele. It’s so nice to see you here and know you are enjoying my blog. I hope your writing is going well! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment and let me know you stopped by!
Beautiful love story. I hope you continue your writing.
My son Oliver put me onto you guys (he lives in Santa Barbara) and is publishing ebooks.
Thank you Jerry. And yes, I’m looking forward to meeting Oliver. Jeffrey always says nice things about him.
Excellent! Extremely interesting and solid writing. I’ll add you to my blog roll. Glad you found me and I found you. Share your wonderful stories. We live in a generation where light can be revealed in all its glorious ways. Don’t keep it under a bushel!
Many thanks for stopping by to check out my blog! I appreciate your kinds words…and you adding me to your blog roll. That’s quite an honor! I’ve already become a huge fan of your writing too, and am happy to add you to my blog roll as well.
Becky,
I absolutely love it. I can see the movie already.
You are amazing writer. I feel the authenticity.
I am very impressed.
See you soon?
Love
Victoria – The Bread Lady
Thanks, Victoria. I appreciate your kind comments!