The inspiration for this book came to me one afternoon as I watched my son, Hudson, playing with his toy bus. I was trying to keep pace with his three-year-old mind as he got deeper and deeper into a fantasy involving nothing more than a yellow plastic box and armless figurines. At least that’s what I saw. He saw frantic commuters rushing to catch the 77 local bus to Australia. He jumped in place, mouth open and slapping his knees, frantically reacting to a world I couldn’t see, but one powerfully present for him.

What happens to this enthusiasm, this ability to be wholly in the moment? Why are these pure experiences so often replaced with cynicism, boredom, and indifference? As I played with my son, I thought about creating photographs that would show the world as if through his eyes. The people in the images would be alive in the everyday.

Shortly after playing “bus,” I attended an extraordinary dance performance, and I knew I had found my collaborators. Dancers are storytellers. They’re trained to capture passion with their bodies. They often create a fantasy world or offer us a deeper look into familiar settings. They bring to life what we feel but what most of us, lacking their artistry and athleticism, are unable to express physically.

I’ve created these images for Hudson and his little sister, Salish…These photographs communicate my dreams for them more powerfully than words alone: Relish moments large and small, recognize the beauty around you, and be alive!