Carpe Diem

Life is getting back to normal for me.  Still oodles to do, for sure, but I'm feeling more balance than in December, January and February.  As an artist, I navigate life with a sixth sense...I'm still trying to conjure a name for it.  It is like all the other senses, mixed with gut feelings, with a dash of intuition, and an extra dollop of heart perched right on the top.  When things are good, I feel it deeply, when things are off-balance, I feel it deeply.

In January, I had a number of things going on.  One of the big ones was the PPOC (Professional Photographers of Canada - Alberta) convention that I was the principal organizer to.  I learned so many things.  I learned who I can count on, where I faltered in my leadership and where I shined.  I learned how to make tough decisions and stick to my guns.  I learned some prime leadership skills from those who displayed them to me.  I learned more valuable ways to communicate - and I learned the incredible value of a good team.  As I was MC-ing the awards banquet I did NOT mean to break into tears as I thanked a group of key people who I relied very heavily on.  The stress was so intense for me the last week before the event that food made me nauseous.  I was on a liquid-only diet because it wouldn't make me sick.  Soup and smoothies are what I lived on.  As the stress abated part way into the convention I was able to eat solid foods again.  (It was a happy day).  As an artist - I felt the stress deeply, but I am so happy about the skills that I learned.  

The point of this post is to seize opportunities.

Opportunities are disguised as many things:  challenges, good things that happen, meeting amazing people, health issues....many different things.  The beautiful thing about opportunity is that you have to seize it or take action for you to derive the greatest benefit from it.  It might fall in your lap, but you still have to do something about it.

I love landscape photography, as you all know.  It is my place where I connect with my higher power in the peace, beauty and solitude of the natural world.  I don't get out enough.  Light is fleeting, but it makes all the difference when you find something gorgeous.  I have experienced time and time again where if I see something, I need to hustle to grab it, or it will simply disappear.  This top photo happened when the perfect angle of light hit the low cloud and created a rainbow.  I had to quickly rush out of the car to photograph this.  A sunrise or a sunset display only lasts minutes, even as grand as they can be.  Be prepared for the opportunity whenever it will hit, and take action. 

Whatever the challenge/opportunity is made up of, there's always a learning opportunity that goes with it - which is a great thing!  The one constant in life is change and we can never know what is around the next bend.