Seems that I've stumbled into a rather crazed chapter of my life--many business plans and personal events are whirling around together like berries in a blender set on "high." The good thing is...they're all good. The bad thing is...I'm busier than I've been in a long time and feel like I've totally "fallen off the wagon" of simplifying.
I'm trying to regain some sense of balance during this time, and if you are, too, then I bet you'll appreciate these five articles that discuss mindfulness, simplifying, and getting your life into some semblance of order. (I'm going to re-read them this weekend and try to practice what I'm preaching!)
Your turn:What are your go-to sources (blogs, books, places, activities) for restoring peacefulness and balance in your life? I'd love to hear about them in the comments section below!
My blogging friend Bethany from Our Journey to Ithaca interviewed me today about minimalism, but if you could see my house (not small) and the things in it (much more than a few), you would hardly call me a minimalist. As I told Bethany, I'm more of a non-consumerist: I've grown to really dislike shopping, mainly because...
My sister and I had to clean out our parents' home to prepare it for sale after they died. Decades of accumulated STUFF to sort, clean, sell, recycle, or (sadly) throw out. It was as if the saying "you can't take it with you" had appeared in neon flashing lights before our very eyes.
I want to lessen my environmental footprint. Buying more stuff isn't green (all of the manufacturing, packaging, and shipping!), and as you might have guessed from this blog, green is a thing I aspire to be.
I have enough. More than enough. And I want to have less of it.
I've found a sense of peace and happiness with my life, just as it is. So, I'm not looking for happiness on a sale rack at the mall.
Which led me to wondering: What are all the reasons we go shopping, anyway? Do any of these sound familiar to you?
1) Do you go shopping for "fun"? Can you switch it out for bicycling, beach-combing, tennis lessons, piano-playing, reading, painting, gardening, swimming, cooking, writing a novel, or my personal favorite--photography? Remember, there are only so many afternoons in your life. Why spend them shopping for capri pants at The Gap?
2) Do you shop when you're feeling blue? Call a really good friend who loves you just as you are. (I suggest Colin Firth.)
3) Do you shop to replace stuff that's broken? Can you fix it yourself? Can it be repaired by someone else? It's kinder to the planet than tossing something broken-but-fixable into the trash.
7) Did you just break up with somebody? Instead of retail therapy, immerse yourself in learning a new language, and pick up a skill you'll use for life. (I used to do this back in my dating years. When I told my friend Chris that I learned a new language every time I broke up with a guy, he said, "Why aren't you up to Sanskrit by now?" What a jokester...)
8) Did you just see an ad for something sexy and beautiful? Don't get sucked in by the empty promises of ads featuring models and actors.
9) Did you just win the lottery? Congrats! Take a trip around the world instead of a trip to the mall. (Experiences over things!)
10)Need an outfit for a big event? When was the last time you cleaned out your closet? Are you sure there's nothing in there that will do?
11) Do you really need that new necklace? Wait a month and see if you still remember it.
12) Is it impossible to control yourself financially with a wallet full of credit cards? Pay with cash. It's amazing how things don't seem like such bargains when you're paying with paper money instead of plastic.
13) Are you shopping for "hobby stuff", such as scrapbooking or sewing materials? Do you honestly have the money, space, dedication, patience, skills, and free time for that hobby?
15) Do you shop to show people that you love them and are thinking about them? Instead of trinkets, would they rather have some dedicated, one-on-one time with you instead? (And if not, why not?)
So, before you head out for some recreational shopping, just ask yourself one question: "Why?"
Your turn: Why do you shop? Let's hear it in the comments section below--I'm all ears!
I love it when designs seem to follow the blueprints of nature. For example, these "butterfly" shutters, which look perfectly at home in a garden, don't you think?
Would love your feedback: I've had a few recent inquiries about running my nature photography e-course in the fall. (The summer session just finished, and I must say, it was a wonderful group!) I hadn't planned on running the course again until March 2015. However, if you think you might be interested in taking a fall course this October (which would be lovely, considering the foliage!), please let me know (either in the comment section below or by email at[email protected]) and I'll consider scheduling one in. Thanks!
Every time I take my velvety-eared dog, Delilah, out for one of her many walks, I get some beautiful views--my neighbors are some very skilled gardeners, that's for sure! Finally, I decided to just ask a few of them whether they'd mind if I poked around in their gardens with my camera. Turns out they were flattered! (I love my neighborhood...)
So, for "My Week in 5 Photos", here's just a tiny, little peek into those gardens. In the weeks ahead, I'll share more photographs from my garden tours--you can thank my neighbors for the pretty views!
Turns out my neighbors' dogs are a friendly bunch, too! Here's one little cutie, below, having a peek through the window at my photo shoot in her garden. I liked how she was almost camouflaged by the reflection of the outdoors...
I'm thankful that I live in a neighborhood with kind neighbors. And kind neighbors with beautiful gardens? For me, that's one version of paradise.
Would love your feedback on this: I've had a few recent inquiries about running my nature photography e-course in the fall. (The summer session is running right now and enrollment is closed.) I hadn't planned on running the course again until March 2015. However, if you think you might be interested in taking a fall course this October (which would be lovely, considering the foliage!), please let me know (either in the comment section below or by email at[email protected]) and I'll consider scheduling one in. Thanks!
There's a lovely stretch of "country road" that winds through our town (actually, there are many lovely stretches in this part of New Jersey, but for the sake of this story, I'll concentrate on one). Every time I've driven along this particular road, on my way from one errand to another, I've made a mental note to stop there "someday" and take pictures of the horses.
Someday...
The problem with "someday" is that it often boils down to "never."
Yesterday, I realized that I had to actually schedule the photography session into my morning list of things to do, or it was never going to happen.
So, after dropping off my daughter at camp this morning, with my camera already waiting in the car seat next to me, I pulled into the farm driveway. It took only a minute or two before the horses noticed they had a new visitor. They regarded me from afar, holding still and staring, but then they gamely trotted over.
The first horse that reached me was looking at me kindly and curiously, as if to say, "What took you so long?" (Indeed! What took me so long?) And maybe, "Got any carrots?"
There are only so many hours in our days, and only so many days in our lives. If there is something you've been wanting to do, something you keep telling yourself that you really ought to treat yourself to, something that's been whispering in your ear whenever you pass it by, then here's the simple fact: You're going to have to prioritize it.
Treat it like it really matters--like it's an appointment that you can't break without paying a hefty fine. Because fun things should matter, too, shouldn't they?
Schedule it in. Squeeze it in if you have to, right between the boring-but-necessary chores on your to-do list. Because there will always be more chores on your to-do list. (I don't think that'll be a news flash to anybody!)
Stephen R. Covey, in his best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has a whole chapter about the importance of "sharpening the saw." In a nutshell, it means that if we never find the time to recharge ourselves (on the physical, spiritual, social/emotional, and mental levels), we'll grind ourselves down and we won't be effective at anything. (That includes our work and our chores.)
I've said it before--coincidentally, in a post about another country road--Stop your car. Go down that path you've been longing to explore. The chores will wait for you, I promise.
But you'll return to them, refreshed.
Your turn:What have you been meaning to do for ages, but never seem to get around to doing? Let's hear it in the comment section--I'm all ears!
No, not the Molly Ringwald film (although that's one of my favorites from way-back- when)...these little blooms, photographed at Greenwood Gardens. If you know what they are, I'd love to know, too!
Tricia at Little Eco Footprints writes about how there are now TV screens at gas pumps in Australia. When will the madness end, filling up every single second with noise and busy-ness? Tricia's got a good remedy for it, here: Overwhelm and Contaminated Time.
And finally: I'm half-Swedish, but I know far too little about my Swedish heritage, so I visually devoured these serene and lovely photographs of "the homeland" at Be Love Live: The Magic of Sweden's Simplicity.
"MOM!!! There's a HUGE BUG in here," my daughter yelled to me from the family room this morning. I'm not a big fan of my kids yelling, especially first thing in the morning. But it was what she said next that warmed my heart: "GET YOUR CAMERA!"
I love how my children no longer fear bugs, but instead see them as something to study. This didn't come naturally; they squished quite a few critters "back in the day." But since I don't freak out whenever I see a bug, and show a real interest and enthusiasm for them, the kids seem to have co-signed on this whole "Bugs are cool!" thing. They're even getting the hang of "Bug Rescues"--capturing the bug in a container and releasing it outdoors. Except now, they tell me first, so I can snap a photo or two (or twenty).
That's exactly what happened with the millipede (the "HUGE BUG" my daughter spotted). I started clicking away and it was tough to stop. Here it is above, having a tiny sip of water off a leaf on the porch, where my photo session continued after we brought it outdoors. (I'm not sure I ever saw a bug having a drink before!)
Since I already had my macro lens screwed on to the camera, I figured I might as well just make the whole day a macro one. The clovers on the lawn were abuzz with bees. It took a looooong time to get the still shot above. Macro photography takes time and patience, that's for sure!
I don't love flies, but I've already admitted that I think their neon coloring is cool. I couldn't see the iridescent green of this little fly without my macro lens. Plus, I appreciated that he held still long enough for me to capture his shadow in a shot.
The macro lens didn't just capture bugs for portraits. It caught this pretty little clover flower, below. (Turns out there are some advantages to letting the lawn grow just a tad longer between cuts!)
As I said in my post about weeds, sometimes having a camera changes my whole perspective on things. Turns out it can change my children's perspective, too.
Your turn: Are you fascinated or freaked out by bugs? Let's hear it in the comments section--I'm all ears!
One of our favorite summer traditions is taking the kids to The Land of Make Believe, an old-timey amusement park in the town of Hope, New Jersey. Even with the water park, the rickety roller coasters, and cherry-flavored ices on a hot summer day, the kids' favorite thing to do is participate in the play at the outdoor theater. They're never sure what parts they'll get, or what costumes they'll wear, or who will be the Bad Guys and who will be the Good Guys, but it's always a story that ends with "happily ever after."
This week was all about entertaining and enjoying our friends, and the weather (mostly) cooperated beautifully! We dined al fresco as much as possible, taking full advantage of summertime. The wine above is called Sofia, as in Coppola, from her father's famous vineyards. The bottle is stylish and beautiful--I'm repurposing it as a vase!--and the delicious contents were gratefully consumed after a badminton mega-marathon. (Summer = badminton!)
Is there anything more idyllic than breakfast outdoors with good friends on a summer morning in the "country" (well, the suburbs...)? Just look at these fresh strawberries! I bet you can practically taste them, right?
One of the best perks of having a good friend from Paris as a houseguest: homemade crepes! Isn't this stack of deliciousness a work of art? Naturally, I wouldn't let anybody touch them until I took some pix! That's the rub when you're friends with a photographer and/or blogger--"photos before forks!" (I just made that up, but I can tell I'm going to be using it. A lot!)
The picture below, although not delicious like the previous three, also represented the week for me. Recognizing the extraordinary beauty of the entirely ordinary, like morning sunshine hitting a silver doorknob to make it glitter and gleam.
And finally, I'll close with my favorite "office view." From late spring to mid-fall (but especially in the summer), I love to work outside after breakfast, on our deck, with a view to the woods. Ideas seem to flow better with fresh air and sunshine, don't you think?
Wishing you a weekend that's full of wonderful summertime pleasures!
