Into the Unknown

Haiku #5

Enigmatic Path,

Shadows and light intertwine,

Past and present merge.

I found several old road trip photographs while (still) sifting through my archives. I believe this one was taken in Utah. My boyfriend (at the time) wasn’t one to make pit stops, so my head was hanging out of the window most of the time—taking pictures—when we traveled together.

I thought this was a good candidate for the Which Way photo challenge today. The fact that you can’t see where we’re going; only where we are and where we’ve been was the inspiration for the Haiku. Maybe road trips really ARE a bit like life. And relationships.

The rain did, indeed, arrive today and we had some exciting lightning and thunder earlier this afternoon. That being said, I’ve put off my errands for now, and hope to get to some of the word challenges soon.

Which Way Photo Challenge: January 31

New Perspectives

Oftentimes I tell the people I meet about my transformation; how much I’ve changed since entering recovery and coming to believe. The way I usually describe it is that all of these changes are internal… they can’t be seen. Well, aside from the fact that you won’t “see” me drinking anymore.

Sometimes I refer to it as a “new attitude,” and other times I say that a lot of it has do with “gratitude.” Even so, I still find myself complaining or whining at times (especially when I play softball), but I’m able to recognize my behavior, pull out my tools, and work on fixing the problem.

While pondering the word angle—I realized that looking at life, myself, and others from different perspectives is probably one of the KEY factors behind my transformation. My new attitude stems from seeing things from new angles, and the ability to do so keeps me grateful.

One of the greatest things I learned in recovery was that I need to look at my own reflection when something is bothering me, because… as they say: No matter where I go, there I am.

It’s easy to feel discouraged, hopeless, irritated or angry when you believe that everything ‘outside of yourself’ is the cause of your condition. When you learn that YOU hold they key, and that you have the ability to change how YOU feel or react to these things… well… suddenly the world looks totally different!

—Janet

RDP Tuesday: Angle

Life is good and God is GREAT!

Late Afternoon Stroll

I haven’t given up on my new series, but I really wanted to do something today to chill out. I finished the second of my three weekly graphic design quizzes, and those tests really stress me out!

This is Bricktown, Oklahoma City again. A little darker and more dramatic than the last photograph I shared of this town. The heat here in the valley today makes me feel like I’m melting, so it’s been nice to imagine myself here, sitting on that bench in the picture.

It looks so shady and cool!!

Hope you are having (or had) a beautiful, blessed Sunday!

Life is good, and God is GREAT!

New Reflections

After working on my last image The View, I got an idea for a new series I want to try.

And I’m going to try and stick to my guns this time!

I’m going to focus on images that have views or reflections within the photograph, similar to when I set out to do that “frames within frames” project some months ago.

But I’m going to do varying effects on one image- like my featured image that retains the photograph in the window reflection, but a sketched effect for the building and trees. I’ve been wanting to jazz things up, and this will give me some great practice and a new approach to some old images as well.

I love change!

Thursday Tidbit

Unless you learn to face your own shadows, you will continue to see them in others, because the world outside you is only a reflection of the world inside you.

I’m still in the midst of some kind of photo block. Personally, I think it’s just a little burn-out. The story of my life is overdoing things… so it makes sense that maybe it’s just time for a little timeout. I started reading, which is a VERY good thing.

Anyway, this bird was in the backyard this morning, so I just gave him (or her) some color, and a mock reflection- just for the sake of having something to do, and to get in some practice.

Blessings!! Have a beautiful day. ♥♥♥

Glass Half Full

Yes, my glass is always half full (non-alcoholic beverages, of course). And, as my sponsor says… it is also refillable. 🙂

I’m experimenting with glass over images and this is my first test run. The trees were shot at the old zoo today, and in reading a tutorial last night I was led to Image*After, which is where I found the glass. Continue reading Glass Half Full

What I Imagine

IF YOU LOSE YOURSELF in your work, you find who you are. If you express the best you have in you in your work, it is more than just the best you have in you that you are expressing. Frederick Buechner, Whistling in the Dark

I thought it was rather coincidental (not) that my quote of the day email from Mr. Buechner was titled Work. I couldn’t wait to read it. His are usually a little longer, but this one was perfect for what’s been on my mind these days.

Every day I imagine more and more images that I want to create, and I’m finding that if I just keep doing that, I lose old worries as I grasp new techniques. It’s a win-win.

Anyway, the featured image is actually a combination of three images, four if you count the hand. The bird shots are from last week, at the L.A. River- so the water has been re-colored, to say the least. The hand was just my way of saying- No, this is not what was out there, but this is what I saw.

I think that makes sense.

What If?

After thinking about my life this morning, I had a random, but important thought. About fear. You know—I realized that when I procrastinate about moving towards my dreams, I don’t ever really ask myself the question: What if I fail?

Pondering


Well, maybe—when I have to take a test or something—but I mean when it comes to taking chances and just going for a goal, or a dream. If I want something bad enough I’m never afraid of failure. When I started my business, I was renting a room in Arizona for $300 a month, sleeping on a blow-up bed, and had no car—so failure was the farthest thing from my mind! Maybe that’s the beauty of “nothing left to lose“.

The point here is that I wasn’t afraid of failing—and I gave it my all; without hesitation. What occurred to me today is that, when hesitating about moving forward, my biggest fear is actually…

What if I succeed???

Coming from someone who spent a good part of her life self-sabotaging, I think this makes total sense and I’m not sure why I didn’t realize that sooner. So… now that I’ve figured THAT out, it’s time to see about fixing the problem.

More to ponder.

Peace and Love!!

Expectations (A Poem)

Oh endless anticipation
I dream of what’s to come
I miss entire symphonies
while beating my own drum

The road beyond entices me
I’m focused miles ahead
Forever running to get there
trampling flowers under tread

I dreamed the world was perfect
Expectations never cease
The thing that I am lacking is
a sense of inner peace.

I miss my grandson calling me
neglect to see his tears
Selfish thoughts consume me as
I ponder my own fears

It’s tragic to be in my head
that keeps me locked away
Worrying of tomorrow
or what happened yesterday

I’d change the way I see things
If only I knew how
to conquer the big secret
…of living in the now.

I wrote this poem in 2015 when I was struggling with relapses and trying to overcome my stinking thinking—as they say in the program.It feels really good to read this and know that I think nothing like I used to. I no longer anticipate too much, expect too much, or stay trapped in my head too much.

I have peace.

Praise God for that!