365 Project - Day 293

“In the short term, it would make me happy to go play outside. In the long term, it would make me happier to do well at school and become successful. But in the VERY long term, I know which will make better memories.” Bill Waterson, Calvin and Hobbes

On the eve of a new school year and just moments away from dropping the eldest off at college, I thought a little Calvin and Hobbes would be fitting. The summer is over. There is no debating that now. The loveliness of the garden and the warmth of the sun may tell a different story, but the frolicking must cease and the seriousness commence.

It has been a fabulously full fun summer that none of us truly want to end. The next days mark the beginning of an entirely new normal for our family. It will be exciting and scary, refreshing and daunting all at once.

The macro view of this flower is an attempt to reflect the sense of openness to new beginnings, yet with a touch of conflict. It is nice to see that angst can yield a beautiful photograph; a terrific sign of hope.

Blessings.

Today's Photo: Hope and New Beginnings

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28







EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 400
50mm
f4
1/180s

365 Project - Day 292

"Every blessing ignored because a curse." Paulo Coelho

At first blush, having a cast party for close to 50 kids and their families and then hosting a group of graduated high school seniors for a sleepover immediately following, seemed insane. Yet, I would not trade a single moment. Not the cast party, during which I failed to take a single photo. Not the 33 hour overlapping and raucous senior goodbye event where the kids were awake until 4AM and we fed them breakfast and lunch and began to grow anxious about serving dinner as well.

There are a few moments, mostly ones we do not choose, that are perfect even in their imperfections and they bless us in ways that are immeasurable. Should we fail to see them as blessings, we lose. One of the kids timidly said, "you are so kind to let us stay here all day. If this were my house, my parents would have said, 'enough already, go home!'" "Hmmm," I thought, "what better way to spend an afternoon than to enjoy the final notes of laughter, play time and love before these kids scatter for school?" Of course, I could find something else to do, but nothing would bless me or them more.

Was this a sacrifice? Sure, but it was one where my offering was love, something we all have in abundance.

Blessings.

Today's Photo: Love and goodbyes

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35





EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 400
50mm
f1.4
1/60s

365 Project - Day 291

"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"

At my age, you would think this a seldom occurrence, though lately I seem to be doing something new at a fairly robust pace. And, oddly, I see little signs of this slowing down. The bad news is that this feverish pace has left me running behind in some important areas. The good news is that, at the same time, I am way ahead in others. As always, the world operates "in balance"!

For today's photograph, I chose to try light painting. This was insanely challenging. I chose a small handheld flashlight as my light source and turned off all of the nearby lights. The difficulties were in 1) selecting the strength and placement of the light and 2) getting the focus set in very low light. I tried several different light positions, all hand held, and with a little patience achieved a look I like. One more tech note: I had to slow down the shutter speed to 3 seconds to capture enough light.

Is it not true, though, that when we fumble in the dark, these are our natural difficulties: Finding, directing and even determining the strength of a source of light, while also sharpening our focus? May I suggest, that slowing down, shaking things up and trying something entirely new that stretches us beyond our comfort zone, can allow us to see ourselves, our environment and our situations differently? And in the midst of that new perspective, we just might find new light and new strength.

Blessings.

Today's Photo: New Direction

"Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new." Brian Tracy






EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 400
65mm
f8
3s

365 Project - Day 290

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time." Thomas Edison

As we left Maine to head home, I had one final task I needed to complete. Shoot a photograph of a lighthouse. It seemed a simple task at face value, but proved difficult. I suppose I have a storybook view of lighthouses. Maine has 60ish lighthouses and I can tell you that several look nothing like the lighthouses I saw in storybooks I read as a young child. Nothing at all like them.

Deeply disappointed by each of our lighthouse excursions, I delayed our trip home. I looked for recommendations online and scoured our maps. Still, I failed to find an interesting lighthouse and finally, very nearly gave up. As the sun was setting, we raced to the oldest lighthouse in Maine, hopeful that this would be what we had envisioned, but we also knew this was our last option. We needed to shift highways in Portland and all of the parks would close at sunset. Indeed, as we arrived at the top of the park at the Portland Head Light, the park ranger was driving around shouting through his megaphone that the park was now closed. Fortunately, the park was crowded and few people were in a hurry to leave.

I was thrilled. Finally, we had reached a lighthouse that looked like a lighthouse. Taking the photos was a bit stressful giving the shouting park ranger and lack of time to find the perfect location from which to shoot, but I was happy nevertheless. We had, after all, been searching for this lighthouse (or one similar) most of the day. We made the most of the reward for our persistence: twilight at the lighthouse. Evidence that persistence pays off!

Best wishes!


Today's Photo: Twilight at Maine's #1 Lighthouse

“Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing!” John Wesley



EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 400
42mm
f22
7/10s

365 Project - Days 287, 288, 289

"Distance and difference are the secret tonic to creativity. When we get home, home is still the same. But something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything." Jonah Lehrer

Big confession ... For the first time 286 days, I missed taking a photo for my 365 day project. We were traveling to Maine on Day 287 and I had been up most of the night before our trip, so I slept and at no time did it occur to me that I needed to take a photo. Not once. We left later than planned. It was raining and the journey took longer than we thought. By the time we arrived in Bangor, we were tired and hungry. A photograph was not top of mind. So - there is no Day 287 photo. Oh well!

I didn't realize I had missed a day until I uploaded the photos upon our return, but the good news is the vacation in Maine was beautiful and I took lots of photos to make up for missing Day 287. I have wanted to get the family out to Acadia for years and it was everything I dreamed it would be. Fully recovered from packing and traveling, we hiked the wrong direction the first day - up the mountain, when everyone was coming down the mountain! The trail was rocky and dense; a bit of a brutal climb, but every once in awhile it opened up to gorgeous Atlantic Ocean scenes. Refreshment for the hike weary travelers!

On Day 289, I convinced the family to awaken early to get to the top of Cadillac Mountain to watch the sunrise with hundreds of other crazy people. To arrive in time to park in the lot, we had to leave our hotel before 3:30AM! They were surprisingly agreeable and we enjoyed a fantastic sunrise. Then breakfast in Bar Harbor and an early morning walk around Jordan Lake that took far longer than any of us anticipated, but I'm smiling as I write this.

I was anxious to get out and experience something entirely new and different. It was nice that we did not have to travel too far to make that happen. We worked hard each day and were rewarded with extraordinary beauty. I loved being together with my family through the challenge of hiking and while there were noisy complaints, they were covered with extreme laughter and wonder.

As always, when we stretch ourselves, we are enlightened and changed for good.

Blessings.

Today's Photos: Wandering Wonders

(As a note, it was difficult to select a best photo for Days 288 and 289 ... Since I missed Day 287, I am adding my "favorite" photo as the first photo)

"Go outside ... amidst the simple beauty of nature ... and know that as long as places like this exist, there will be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be." Anne Frank

"And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do." Psalm 90:17

365 Project - Day 286

"Good habits formed at youth make all the difference." Aristotle

Four some reason, I can still vividly remember how I felt as I loudly declared to my floor that if anyone should need me they would have to come to my room to speak me and I then plopped down on my bed unable to further move after having eaten 5 helpings of the second most delicious lasagna I had ever eaten.

I was an RSA in college and little elves (not really, but surely it was the only way one could explain the deliciousness of the food we were served) prepared the food we ate each day. There is no explaining what possessed me at dinner that evening. I learned a valuable lesson. I suppose sometimes we need moments like that, but I was a mess the rest of the evening, laying on my bed moaning and groaning.

The combination of these home grown vegetables gifted to us from one of my son's friends and getting him ready for school reminded me of my poor college eating habits. He's fortunate, Whole Foods is just a few short blocks away from his dorm. I know that unless he thinks about the home made bagels, he's not likely to walk over to Whole Foods and when he does, he may stop at the burger joint along the way.

All of this is a reminder that we are constantly reinforcing our habits, good and bad. Most often, we associate habits with food, but everything we do is habitual. The question, as always, is are our habits supporting our purpose or suppressing our purpose. Everything we do does one or the other. A bit of good news is our choices are made easier by the company we keep; make good friends and good habits are easy.

Best wishes!

Today's Photo: Healthy Friends

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
Mahatma Gandhi






EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 500 (handheld)
50mm
f4
1/60s

365 Project - Days 284, 285

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” Mary Sarton

Today, we began the long goodbye. The next weeks will be difficult, but as my son journeys on to his next stage of life he will be buoyed by the experiences and relationships he has built here and challenged to begin new friendships. That challenge will surely be a difficult one. A small town's close-knit, sheltered community is a far cry from the mass of one of the world's largest cities. Staying truly authentic, beautifully uniquely himself will be a regular, if not constant, battle.

While I am excited and hopeful about his future, every once in a while I worry about his ability to stay poised. It can be difficult both on his own and while mired in the muck. But what I want for him is much more than posture and survival - I want the kind of brilliance than changes the world and makes it a better place in real, tangible ways. To do that, he will need strength and the ever-present guidance of the Holy Spirit. Then, he will be reminded that he was designed for much more than he can dream.

Best wishes!

Today's Photos: Poise: Roses and Water Lilies

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be overwhelmed often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." Friedrich Nietzsche