change

As I visited the ocean tonight I stood and watched the waves swirling around the rocks. I reflected on  entering a season of large changes. In the next few weeks I will pack all of my belongings and leave the county that I have spent the last ten years. It is strange to think that I will move away from the coast that I have become accustomed to visiting so easily and often take for granted. So much beauty just a short drive away.
I will pack up an office and leave a place I have worked at for the better part of the last nine years and say, "see you later" to many friends that have become like family. I will head east and start a new job, in a new city and most excitedly enter a new season of life; marriage.
So with great excitement I enter this new season of life. There is so much to look forward to: being closer to the woman whom I love so much, starting a new job, meeting new people and of course being closer to Yosemite, a wonderful source of beauty. There are also many things I will miss. And so on this night, likely one of my few remaining opportunities for a casual impromptu visit to the ocean, I decided to stop at one of the turnouts I had never been to before. I parked and walked down the short trail, dancing around the scattered patches of poison oak. Reminiscing about the time I wandered down a trail in shorts and got poison oak up and down my legs and on my face so that my eye was swollen half shut and had to have two shots before the symptoms subsided.
I thought about the many times I had stood next to the ocean waiting for the light to be right to take pictures. Reminding myself to always step back and be present in the moment. A picture can never fully capture the moment and so I try and be mindful of being present knowing that life is not just about seeing the moment but about taking time to feel it.
And so I endeavor in all of these changes to be present. To remind myself that the journey is exciting and I need to take moments just to take in everything around me. I am thankful for all that I have and grateful for the experiences life has brought me so far and look forward to the adventures that lay ahead.

Along the lines

One year

Little did I know that a moment of boldness had set a series of events into place. All seemingly simple at first blush, but incomprehensibly intricate when viewed in hindsight. Moments woven into a tapestry of experience amongst tiny turns, twists and chances. Curiously working their way into something special.
It started with a wink and a wait. Then a note, followed by curiosity. Brief notes, comments, witty remarks, and attempts at jokes. Short notes grew into letters and letters grew into long distance conversation. Something developing, waiting for a chance to be discovered.
One year ago...
I awoke with excitement, anticipation and a bit of nerves. I ate breakfast, got dressed and headed off to church, though that may not have been at the front of my mind at the time. My mind was a few hours ahead dwelling and scheming over what the rest of the day might bring...my mind flashing between possible variations and outcomes. Then prayer for discernment, surrender and boldness.
Then a short butterfly filled drive for the meeting. The moment of truth. Which preconceived plan would be the one that materialized? Was there possibly an alternate story?
That first moment in the Best Western parking lot, an already hyper-active heart leapt out of my chest and into my throat.
Stunned.
More beautiful than any of the pictures. A beautiful smile. A good christian side hug.
I had to jump start my brain with simple directions:
1. Words.
2. Phrases.
3. Sentences.
4. Don't screw this up.
5. Repeat.
My rush of joy, excitement and nerves quickly transferred into calmness, comfort and familiarity. Words, phrases and sentences growing into paragraphs and conversations. Moments growing into minutes then hours, days, weeks, months and a year.
A year filled with moments of joy and adventure. A year of discovery and revealing. A year of being seen for who I am. For being accepted for who I am without expectation and being inspired to be so much more.
A moment of boldness transformed into a year of joy.
and then...

Inpiration: Waterfall Wednesday

I have a great love for running water and these are a few images that I really liked. Hopefully, I can visit more spots like these and grab some pictures of my own.

 

 

 

the digital camera

Inventor Portrait: Steven Sasson from David Friedman on Vimeo.

It is interesting to me where ideas come from, how they come into existence and how they are dispersed into culture. Thinking about where cameras were before this and where cameras are now and all the little steps in between in order for them to be what they are today is intriguing. As are the strategies used to make them accessible, relateable and palatable to consumers.

Basically

I find myself working in the digital realm for so much of my day and life. Sometimes it is refreshing to just go back to the old analog way of creating. No matter how fancy things get there will always be a connection for me with pencil and paper. The feel of the pencil against paper, the smell, the texture, the mess, the feel. A connection to the roots to discovery. I wonder about people who never started this way. What connection to they have to paper and pencil?

Unreal boundaries

I have often found myself in situations like this where I have placed boundaries or obstacles when in fact none existed. I have a tendency to over think things, trying to see things from every angle before I will make a move.  Uncertainty can cause paralysis, not because of what is there, but because of what my mind thinks is there. Sometimes it is helpful to assess the situation objectively and rationally in order to realize what the truth is.