you can’t imagine the restraint it’s taken in just the last week to not post a dozen photos of waves and water…i’m SO taken with the chance to be at the edge of a continent and feel the wind before it’s slowed down by trees and buildings.
while in oregon the weather was AWFUL and I didn’t care – there was a hurricane, hail, downpours (lots of them) and nothing could wipe the smile off my face from being in a favorite spot.
i’m back and feeling so good. more alive. more aware of purpose with my work. and utterly grateful on a cellular level.
at church we have a really thoughtful sunday school teacher, thomas, and a few weeks ago he shared the top 5 regrets of the dying written by a hospice worker who had counseled thousands as they passed away……
one of them was the regret of not allowing themselves to be happy. and a few weeks from taking their last breath they realized it. something clicked.
…that happiness is there but it’s us that keep ourselves from accessing it like a heavy jar on a too high shelf.
i’m hoping that you’ll pull up a step stool with me this year so we can relish every bit of it. that it can wash over us like those bioluminescent organisms i want to swim with (obvious conversation tangent alert!) and enjoy it deeply.
so, while learning might by easily won, wisdom rarely is.
at the workshop in oregon, i had the most luminous moment when something clicked in the deepest place where all truth resides.
the group was critiquing my work and that’s something i’m comfortable with after time in art school.
i was loving the chance to see each person’s images because it was then that i felt like i knew them – because photos can’t help but be autobiographical.
and when i saw mine, i realized that the the word that struck me was ‘alive’…my favorite images had that in common. and i realized in that moment it was because i was so truly grateful to be alive. it had never hit me before. i hadn’t seen what was right in front of me.
i don’t often speak of certain circumstances in my life but two came close to claiming my life as i know it…and let me tell you, that flips a switch.
you know how you might behave differently if you only knew you had 2 months to live? well, i seem to be in that state perpetually…I’m keenly aware that life on this planet is finite.
so i keep it simple.
and i scoot up the stool and open the jar.
and can’t help but marvel.
let’s do it together.
lovelies from around the web
- 01origami playhouse
if audrey’s birthday gifts weren’t already planned out, i’d be adding this in…so cute!
- 02shotgun house
this house exterior is straight out of my dreams – small but cute. i’d go for white + charcoal, of course…and the interior would have a bit less in it but i love that it’s traditional on the exterior and there’s more modernness to the interior.
- 03food wishes
have you discovered chef john on youtube? audrey and i were searching food videos to pick up some tips for a dish and happened upon him and cracked up…we may or may not have made jason watch a couple with us.
- 043 steps to living minimally
like a breath of fresh air, darling mag!
- 05customer service shalom
yes and yes.
Just lovely and heart felt. I am glad you are alive too. And if you need help getting that too high or too heavy jar info hope you will ask for help and not live in regret. Some day I hope to meet you in person. Hugs and warm wishes. Lisa
that’s the thing, Lisa – i’m baffled when people don’t just slide up a stool and get the jar because i’m not content unless it’s sitting in my lap most of the time :)
well, i might put it down when i’m running ;)
i couldn’t believe *that* was the regret people were taking to their grave…made me sad that it took them so long to realize the happiness was there waiting to be accessed. i hope we have time together too – bali???? ;) xoxoxoxo
Your words are so beautiful. It was so, so, wonderful to meet you last week, and I cannot wait until we meet again!
agreed, Jenny! i’m so impressed by you – how you make masterful use of english when it’s a second language, and how this third language of photography is becoming so natural as well. when ruth & dianna were in portland we came across a super cool dog place and now, whenever i see something like that i *immediately* think of you. xoxox
I love the picture of the waves. What a beautiful scenery! I can’t imagine anyone critiquing your work, Melanie :). Great links as always. I especially love the one about customer service. I think it should be a requirement for everyone to work as a waitress or some capacity to appreciate those that do that kind of job.
Critiques from an art standpoint are super positive – they’re always really helpful and it may not include any criticism at all. I loved seeing that the major themes others could sense in my work were true timelessness, heritage and tenderness.
I love the Oregon coast so much!!