365 Project - Day 364

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." e.e. cummings

I hopped into the taxi early Sunday morning said, "Good morning" and gave the driver my destination. After a couple of minutes, when we stopped at a traffic light, the driver turned around and said, "you're a nice lady." What he meant was, "you're awfully cheerful for this hour on a Sunday." He proceeded to explain that most of his fares are grumpy, bearing few smiles and much less of a sense of humor. He and I talked the rest of the ride. The trip was a gift. He started the heart of the conversation by sharing the importance of laughter. He said that a doctor had told him that laughter, loud hearty laughter, will keep one from getting cancer. To which I responded, "of course, laughter is the best medicine, right?" Then, we discussed health and food choices and with the most beautiful Indian accent, he explained the importance of the enzymes our mouths create when we eat fish. As we finished our ride, he repeatedly insisted that I remember his advice on staying young. I promised, but I couldn't resist asking him to guess my age. He guessed 20-30 years younger and when told him how wrong he was, he said, "No it cannot be - stop - and don't say that again. You look so young." I am simply living proof that laughter improves your health.

I can't recall the last time I had so much fun taking photos. This was pure self-indulgence. Our garden was full of leaves. I couldn't resist taking photos. A light rain had just finished, but a mighty Fall breeze was at hand. IMHO, the best way to capture the dizzying swirl of leaves at this moment was to become one. So, I laid down, selected a hyper focal distance and when the wind kicked up, I stayed as still as possible and clicked away. Most of the time I was giggling while the leaves fluttered around me. It was far too much fun.

One of the things that I enjoy about this photo is the crispness and clarity of a few of the leaves and the blades of grass. It does foretell that when we are ready, we are able to stand strong against whatever may attempt to derail us. Yet, all winds are not meant to destroy.

One of my most enjoyable lessons during this 365 project has been the appreciation of simple things. We are given gifts every day. Some magnificent, some average, some plain. And, all are more than enough, if we are grateful to the giver and if we use those gifts as seeds for growth. Being a leaf was an extraordinary gift. To some it may seem trivial, for me it was exceptional, more than enough to fill my cup with joy. I join e.e. cummings in saying, "I thank God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes."


Blessings.

Today's Photo: The Joy of Dancing Leaves!

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength." Proverbs 17:22

365 Project - Days 354, 355

"Every particular in nature, a leaf, a droplet, a crystal, a moment of time is related to the whole, and partakes of the perfection of the whole." Ralph Waldo Emerson

We end daylight savings time this weekend. Yet another sign of the approaching winter. Wedged between the warmth and freshness of spring and summer and the cold and bitterness of winter, it does have a few of its own exceptional qualities. The crisp, bright mornings; cool breezes; uniquely beautiful colors; hearty comforting meals make this an embraceable season. The trouble is that I can often long for that summer heat and grow anxious about the bleak, cold winter. When that happens, I totally miss the grace and beauty within each autumn moment.

Isn't that very true about life? We spend time reminiscing about our past; pre-occupied with hopes of returning to the good ole days and we worry about the days ahead, creating a life of tortured anxiety long before an event occurs. Split between these two worlds, we miss the reality unfolding around us. Then I wondered the other day, "what if this moment, is the most important moment?" What if each moment, as Emerson describes, has impact on our lives as a whole? If none are forgotten and every one is a piece of the perfection of our lives, (which means how we execute today impacts tomorrow) then why waste time fretting over or desiring a spent past or anxious and excited about a distant future?

It is hard not to look back or look forward, but perhaps this is why the sun is so bright, the wind so fierce and the colors so deep in autumn. It's a reminder that the in betweens matters. We must, therefore, focus on perfecting our present. That work could be all-consuming. So I say, live in the present moment. Let it take your breath away and then breathe life back into this moment, creating roots for your future.

Blessings.

Today's Photos: Autumn Beauty and Last Farmer's Market

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” Henry David Thoreau

365 Project - Day 343

"Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is not delay, nor defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing." Denis Waitley

So I've been a bit melancholy and existing on little sleep the last few days. I've decided it comes down to a couple of things. The signs of impending winter and rain. I did not enjoy the lengthy winter we endured last year, partly because I was on crutches and partly because, well, it was so cold and wet. Yesterday, it snowed. That's crazy. It is possible that our pastor, who preached one of his all time best sermons on prayer using the story of Elijah expecting rain, caused the snowfall - something about praying prophetically. Still - it snowed! And rain decidedly kills creativity. The cleansing aftermath is pretty sweet, but the rain, ugh.

One of my beefs with rain is that my own hair explodes to 10 times its natural volume in the rain. As long as I have nowhere to go, there's no problem. The bigger issue comes when I have headshot appointments on rainy days. I have shot as many as 40 headshots on a single stormy afternoon and did my best to keep a pleasant attitude. Now, I am tasked with editing a headshot taken on a rainy day and it is making me crazy. I watched a webcast the other day that began with, "these stray hairs are the reason why the suicide rate is so high among photo editors." I sobbed. It seems no method works. I keep telling myself, "the only way I will know if which one works is when I try and fail." Call me "little Edison."

I am determined, but may go nutty along the way. Failure will be my teacher. The question is what kind of student will I be? So far, I've thrown in the towel every day. "That's it," I scream at my screen, "this is impossible." Yet, a voice deep inside rises just as quickly, "It is possible. You will figure it out."

Along the way, I have learned a lot of of other pieces of information. I am getting lots of practice at Photoshop. I now know it is a bad idea to use the backside of my headboard, regardless of how pretty it looks. I am getting more adept at using my Wacom Tablet and I know which edits I want to perform in Lightroom and which in Photoshop. So, learning how to remove dark stray hairs from dark busy backdrops will come. And, also will winter. Both arriving painfully.

Best wishes!

Today's Photo: Winter is next!

"Failures are finger posts in the road to achievement." C. S. Lewis

365 Project - Day 6

The wind was crazy yesterday. I went out mid-afternoon for my 365 shoot and thought I would have a terrific opportunity to get a few pictures of leaves blowing in the wind. The sun was shining and it was what the British refer to as a "crisp" afternoon (which is cold in my vernacular). Since I cannot venture too far from home, I stepped off the porch into the garden. I took more photos of the Japanese Maple. The tree is huge and beautiful and I do feel somewhat obliged to photograph it daily. For something new, however, I shot photos of the leaves on the ground and this one of the shadows of the large oaks in our neighbor's yard, stretching into ours appeals to me. Perhaps because it resembles strong legs, which I am want of at the moment.

Since the leaves weren't blowing as much as I had hoped, I enlisted the assistance of my son, Brooks, to throw a few into the air after his attempts to run and shuffle through a pile of leaves left the pile virtually undisturbed. It did not seem a complicated task to me, but throwing worked slightly better. Just because it's such fun, I thought I would add his photo.

I know this project is to choose 1 each day and in the first week, I've already broken the rule twice, but so be it. It makes me joyful!

Enjoy and all my best wishes!

Today's Photos: "Autumn Strength 1 and 2"

“Courage isn't having the strength to go on - it is going on when you don't have strength.” Napoleon

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13