Friday, August 13, 2010

I dare you...


This week has been an interesting one. I have been faced with failure, sadness as well as success. I have been inspired and exhilarated, as well as discouraged... There have been really positive moments, amazing gifts of creativity and a deep sense of helplessness at times. lucky for me, tonight? I feel blessed, I feel gifted... and I hope you do too.

I think that we are the sum of our experiences. I also think that each of those experiences regardless of it's negative or positive origin have something to teach us. So here I am. I am knee deep in learning, growing and pushing beyond who I am. It's not easy, but somehow I think that it is the right place for me to be. Artistically I have had some defining moments this week, personally I have found that even in the deepest sadness comes the opportunity for joy and gratitude. So here I am. Swimming in a sea of challenges and mountains to climb, somehow finding the strength to do both.

One of the things that seems to sustain me.. are my favorite places. Walks by the lake, sitting in an old cemetery taking photos of "angels unaware", the touch of a loved one, the spirit of a baby's laugh. Each takes me to places I did not expect. Each makes the sadness seem to melt away, each inspires. I think the thing about this simple observation is that there are many "favorite places." They needn't include the big mouse house in Florida, or Hawaii... they need to be that place where you look for and seek your peace, find your bliss and become more than you were a moment before.

My lesson for you? notice the little things, the way the sand glistens in the sun, the sound of the water rushing over the surf, he clarity of a photo taken twenty years earlier... the brightness of the sparkle in your loved one's eye... notice. I dare you. It will change your life.