D is for Dreams Everyone knows what dreams are, but I wanted to find a more personal way to describe them. Not the dreams we have when we’re asleep; the dreams we dream when we’re awake. I poked around google and found exactly what I was searching for: A synonym for dream is HOPE.
A wish, like a dream Is only the beginning The challenge comes next Prepare for the fight Fear will say: “Impossible!” You must not listen Like “look, but don’t touch,” Always leaves you wondering, What did that feel like? You will never know What you are capable of Until you have tried So take a gamble, Up the ante, raise the stakes Make your wish come true Written for Daily Addictions: Fight, RDP Friday: Prepare, Fandango’s One Word Challenge: Touch & Your Daily Word Prompt: Raise
I don’t know if anyone else ever falls into this trap, but I constantly find myself trying to turn my dreams—or the things I love—into some kind of product, as if they’re things I need to own. It’s like the person who loves to swim, who’ll never be satisfied until their backyard has a pool… or the occasional fisherman who believes he’ll find ultimate happiness ONLY after he buys a boat. And you know what they say: “The happiest days of a boat owner’s life are the day they buy a boat—and the day they sell the boat.” Well, all of my hemming and hawing over my college major came to a wonderful close recently when I considered these analogies. I realized that I’ve been too fixated on the road… or the tangible outcomes (degrees)… and somewhere in the interim I lost sight of my dreams; the things I actually LOVE to do—just for the sake of doing them. I made a decision to venture off the pathway this spring; I’ve enrolled in Creative Writing …
My dreams are vivid, they’re bold and alive. The colors run deep, as they spin and they jive. Often they fade, to black, and to white, Others appear in magnificent light. Sometimes in shadows, or a dark silhouette, They wait as I cling to the fear of regret. One dream can splinter, into two, even three, I’ll never stop dreaming of all I can be.
Well, I never made it outside yesterday (Boooo). Honestly… it is freaking COLD here! Not as cold as so many places, but in California these recent “extremes” are quite shocking to some of us natives. Anyway, even though I made a silent vow to stay away from my archived photographs, this morning I remembered some images I took at the park some time ago, and this one seemed perfect for today’s thoughts. Par for the course, I played around in Photoshop to make it appear a little “dreamy.” I couldn’t help but wonder if this young boy was dreaming a little himself at that moment; feeling hopeful about his future in baseball. I don’t know if I mentioned it before… but this past summer I played coed slow-pitch softball. I’ve now joined a winter league, and this weekend is our first practice game. A friend of mine—who has never played before—has also signed up, and this past Sunday the two of us went to the batting cages. After showing her how to hold the bat, …
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for? Robert Browning
But there’s a “Me” in Mentor. First of all, I wanted to share at least one of my school projects here. I’ve butchered it now, but before I made the edits it was the backside of an album cover I created. I haven’t been too thrilled with many of my projects thus far, but the good news is that taking the classes helped me figure out that I needed to go in a completely different direction. And I’m so happy I did—so it’s all good! Secondly, I thought I would elaborate on my idea—my vision—about a program for people who are in recovery. My initial thoughts about it started when I was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my (sober) life. My passion for photography and art —or anything that entails creativity really—was where it all started. I imagined an art gallery of sorts, with walls covered in various pieces done by people who are new to recovery, who are trying to get their lives back in order, and are in …
A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. -John Barrymore I found this quote not long after I wrote my bit about TIME. It sure makes sense! It doesn’t exactly fit with the featured image here, but considering I’m still dreaming of cooler places, the dream theme kind of works for now. I’ve posted images of this location before. I finally googled it tonight and found out it’s Deerwood Arboretum and Nature Area in Brentwood, Tennessee. From the 2011 road trip. Boy, it’s time for another trip so I can get a new stockpile of images! Anyway, I did a light paint effect, and added a lens flare just for the heck of it. The way the sun was shining on the water made me think of that little addition. I thought this place was lovely. I think this image kind of looks like a jungle! I’ve worked on several photographs for my new series, but so far I haven’t like any of the results… But, I’m working on it. I hope you …
Devote yourself to an idea. Go make it happen. Struggle on it. Overcome your fears. Don’t you forget: this is your dream. Read, read, read… I’ve been doing that a lot to learn new techniques in Photoshop. And I’m back to my sketchy images. The featured image is Bricktown, Oklahoma City. I took this during the road trip with my son. I absolutely LOVE brick, so I must say that I really enjoyed this place! Anyway, I thought this was a great photograph for a sketch. I really like the baby blues, and slightly turquoise tones that seem to pop out at you. I also thought it was a good day to share some positive thoughts. I enjoy anything that drowns out doubt, and reinforces positive thinking. Courage is fear that has said its prayers. “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” -Winston Churchill
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. Henry David Thoreau I suppose this image and quote could be misleading. I’m not a golfer, nor do I dream of ever being one! These were photos that I took over the past few days. Both were shot from a distance; the golfer at the edge of the lake, and the background is actually the top of a palm tree that was blowing in the wind yesterday. And midway through writing this post I decided to add one more element to the golfer… A personalized golf ball!
