Okay, let's get this right out of the way: Nobody really wants to hear how crazy-busy we are, with "craziness" being worn as a badge of honor, some sort of sign that we are "worthy." Because--let's face it--when it comes to busy-ness, we're all pretty crazy. We've all got our own stuff to juggle, and does anybody really know how to juggle (except circus clowns, who creep me out)?
There's good-busy (trying to do a lot of things you enjoy and are proud of) and bad-busy (trying to chip away at Laundry Mountain, paying a heap of scary bills, or--heaven forbid--checking in on loved ones at the hospital). Right now, I'm in the middle of good-busy (even though Laundry Mountain is threatening an avalanche). But I'm trying to take breathers here and there, so the good-busy doesn't start to feel like the bad-busy.
Enter the dog.
My dog, the velvety-eared Delilah, really knows how to take a breather.
But because she's a dog through-and-through, she's also acutely attuned to the Here and Now. Or at least she seems to be. Maybe she's really daydreaming about that handsome German Shepherd who lives up the block.
Anyway, the impression Delilah gives is that she's got mindfulness down to a science. She seems joyfully aware of every little creak and click, every flutter of a moth's wings, every crunchy stick to chomp, and all the tiniest little blossoms that are opening up right at this very second to release their blossomy scent.
She doesn't discriminate against weeds, either. They're all good.
So, as usual, when I need a breather, I grab my camera and attach the macro lens. It puts me into an odd-but-blissful mix of relaxation and hyper-awareness. Dog-Mode.
Like Delilah, I'm fascinated by bugs. Unlike Delilah, I don't try to eat them.
Getting into Dog-Mode, I get as close as possible to things and really check them out. Whoever said "God is in the details" was really onto something. The details I can see with a macro lens knock me right out with their awesomeness. And focusing on the tiniest little things helps me re-focus on the Big Picture.
So I'm channeling the dog, but with a camera and opposable thumbs. It stops me from running around in circles, chasing my tail.
How 'bout you? Are you good-busy or bad-busy today?
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BIG NEWS: Today, part of my good-busy is being featured as a guest writer on BlogHer, with a tutorial called 3 Simple Steps to Finally Learn Manual Mode on Your DSLR Camera. It's part of their BlogHer University month-long course on photography, and I'm tickled pink that they invited me to chime in! I hope you'll check it out during your next break from juggling.
If you found your way here from BlogHer (welcome!) and you enjoyed this post, you can check out more posts up the same alley, under the "mindfulness" and "macro" categories.
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© 2015 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com LLC. All rights reserved. All photos and text digitally fingerprinted and watermarked. Please do not use any of my photographs without asking me first for permission at [email protected] and then clearly linking back to this site with photo credits. Site licensed by Creative Commons.
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