What is important at year’s end

Rhyze Greer filming a mouse perspective on Christmas Day. Photo taken by Rhyze’s parents.

This year on Christmas day I was walking in Langley with my husband and son. They had gone shopping in the Star Store and while I waited out on the sidewalk, six-year-old Rhyze Greer came by with a camera and his parents Maisie and Bin. I met Rhyze at last summer’s Soup Box Derby and was taken by the full attention he paid to being a very good flag waver at the race’s end. Rhyze kindly helped a young racer cross the finish line when the racer’s vehicle ran out of steam. His cheerful focus for what he was doing made me smile.

Seeing Rhyze on Christmas day I was again heartened by his pure enthusiasm. With a camera he received as a gift, Rhyze told me he was going around taking photos from a mouse’s perspective. I asked him to send me his photos so that we could publish our year’s end guest article. Here are his words in an email I received from his mom:

“I live here at the 5th Street Commons. I used to have a tripod – broke it. And I have a new one, plus it’s simpler. Just so you know, I do really really really really love mice.”

So, here’s a young boy’s perspective of Langley as if he were a mouse. May you find your perspective for the coming year and seek inspiration along the way. Seeing Rhyze and his pure outlook on life helped sweep away the dust bunnies of my mind and reminded me to start 2020 with Rhyze’s refreshing outlook.

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Kate Poss | With Photos by David Welton

Kate Poss
This Is Whidbey was founded by Kate Poss for readers who are interested in cultivating our island’s quality of life, including its land, sea, and air; its people, plants, and animals; and the bodies, minds, and spirits of its inhabitants. You may know Kate from her work in island libraries through May of 2016. Her background includes a career in newspaper reporting in Los Angeles for various weeklies and dailies, including The Los Angeles Times. She was a frequent contributor to the online Whidbey Life Magazine and still writes for the biannual print magazine.

David Welton
Stories are highlighted by David Welton’s excellent photography. David is a retired physician who was a staff photographer for Whidbey Life Magazine since its early days. His work has also appeared in museums, art galleries, newspapers, regional and national magazines, books, nonprofit publicity, and on the back of the Whidbey Sea-Tac Shuttle!