Progress Is a Good Thing

A lot of small businesses are going under in today's economy.  We have seen this across the US, take  for example your local movie rental stores.  The success of online movie rentals and access to movies through cable providers have progressively eliminated the need for late night, last minute runs to grab some new movie to see. Another example - one that hits close to home for me - is book stores.  I used to love sitting in the aisles of local book stores, hours at a time, browsing through the selections. Bookstores are becoming few and far between as we begin to utilize online media purchasing.  I love the convenience of purchasing without leaving the comfort of my home, and if nothing else saving fuel costs, but now I am starting to truly see what we are losing in order to gain convenience.

Progress is one of my 3 chosen topics this week.  Again, I am not being negative or pointing a finger, because I love Amazon as much as the next girl...but lets slow down for a moment.  Let's look at a progression of books.
This is my Great Grandmother Rebecca's reading glasses on an old book that now rests in a curio cabinet in my home.

Next, I chose one of my favorite books, "The Last Lecture," (by Randy Pausch) and my reading glasses.  Since it is my copy, I write notes in the margins and highlight what speaks to me.  When I read, I enjoy the feel of the book in my hands, turning the pages, and I have to admit... I love the smell of its pages.

I remember used/old book sales at my local library. As a child, I was just as excited as I would have been on Christmas morning.  I would carry as many books as my little arms could hold.  My mom would make me choose 12, and it always took a long time to narrow down the decision. I was happier than a fox in a hen house! Today, as books and technology merge into one venue, our children will also download books.  It is easy, quick, and super convenient!  My question is, will they have the same sense of value in books as past generations?  Will they get tired of reading on an electronic device?  Will they know the joy of looking through shelves and flipping through the pages in order to decide which book they want?  Will they know the smell of books?  Yes, technology and progress are great, but I have been thinking....what is convenience worth to me?  I do know this....there will always be books in my house.  I am not ready to be a mom right now.  However, someday, in the future (if I have children of my own) I want them in my lap with a BOOK in their hand.  If they want a Kindle later, okay, but I want the wonder of the story lighting their faces - not the screen.

Teachable

Learning never exhausts the mind. -Leonardo da Vinci 

To stop learning is to "die."  We are all students and teachers.  When we get to a point in life, when we feel we have all the answers to give others, well it is a dangerous position.  The truth is, as we say down South, "There'z more'n one way tuh skin uh rabbit."  No one knows all the different ways or even the best way.  They just know the best way for them. (By the way I never have "skinned a rabbit."  A deer, yes.)
I have learned in my short lifetime that being teachable is important. It is contingent on our attitude.  We do not have a lot of control in what life brings us, but we control our responses.  The response can make all the difference in the outcome.  
The challenge stated: I shoot or revisit 3 images a week.  
This is Quinn.  He is one of my 2 little brothers in Montana.  This was taken my first trip to Montana, over Labor Day weekend.  My host family and I met in Bannock, MT to camp.  During the tour Quinn was so focused.  He just seemed to drink in the information about the silver mining and how the town was governed back in the old days.  His expression wasn't a bored 8 yr old, it was a boy thirsty for knowledge.  His expression, stance, and demeanor made me "do a double take."  That is when this photograph was taken.  By the same token Quinn has the mind of an engineer.  He can build anything.  He is humble enough to ask for help, after he has tried to solve the problem himself.  There isn't an arrogant bone in his body. He and I have worked on projects for the last 2 summers. No matter what it entails he is always a pleasure to be around; whether he is asking me a question or answering one of mine.  You see being an humble student is as important as being an humble teacher.  Quinn has mastered both.  The 8 yr old must have taught the 25 yr old something.  Who would have thought huh?  After all, I am proud to still call myself a student of life.

Day 2: A Blank Canvas

A ray of light is easier to spot in a pitch black room,
A drop of water is more appreciated by one who is dying of thirst,
The value of freedom is truly comprehended by one who was bound, but is now free.
Sometimes emptiness is a great place to start, it is a space all of your own;  a blank canvas to create on...

Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of my favorite writers.  I choose the title "writer" because he seems to be more than just the author of books.  His heart comes out in his writing: be it a quote, story, poem, or book.  I have a book that I write the quotes I like down in.  It is great to review for inspiration, encouragement, laughter, etc  Within the last few months, I have realized that many of my quotes are in fact the words of Emerson.  I find myself writing more lately, something else that has been newly inspired.  I don't feel much like talking, but those that know me, know the words have to get out somehow :) so writing it is.  So with that said it is not what we say or do not say, it is the follow through that matters.  Something so simple as a promise kept, no matter its size is invaluable.  We are only as good as our word.  However, the value of our word is measured in our actions.  No matter how big or small.

A Personal Challenge

There are phases of life when things seem heavy, uninspiring, and that we just go through the day to day motions.  In the last few months, I have been giving serious consideration to "putting down my camera."  A lot of soul searching has been done.  I have not reached a conclusion as of yet, but decided not to sit idly by.  A personal challenge:  to shoot or revisit 3 pieces of my heart a week, for me.  Subject matter/Goal:  Find beauty in simplicity, pay more attention to what is around me, and to find the rays of sunlight in the clouds.  I truly believe if you can not appreciate the little things in life, you don't deserve the big things.  So my quest: "the little things, to become inspired and renewed, to find my heart again."

"Photographers shoot what they are or what they hope to be." -Rebecca Helms

Day 1: My Southern Belle: Life is Tough.  Smart Girls Carry Their Own Sword.

This little one is the sunshine in my life.  Her laugh and love of life brightens the lives of all she is around.  We think we are placed in children's lives to teach and guide them.  This much is true but, if that is all you think the relationship brings, then you have missed the bigger picture.  Children teach us so much more than we think:  To love unconditionally.  To find joy in the simplest things: bugs, flowers, goldfish crackers, nerf footballs etc.  It takes so little to bring a smile to their face.  They don't want you for what you can bring...they just want you, your time, and your attention.  This means put down your cell phone, ipad, get off of Facebook and PLAY!  

This little girl reminds me: my favorite things in life are pretty and useful.  Southern women like to be treated with love, respect, and chivalry.  But don't be fooled a true Southern Belle wears cute shoes and a tiara, all the while wielding her own sword.  She awaits her handsome prince, but he will not find her sitting on a soft fluffy couch, oh no she is a Princess from the South hear her roar!

Heather and Tatum

Heather and her baby girl, Tatum, were so fun to photograph.  This little darlin had just turned one year old recently.  Children grow up so fast.  It was a pleasure capturing Tatum at this time in her life and the special bond she shares with her mom.  

Fall in the South

Fall is my favorite time of year in the South.  The colors are breathtaking.  The pumpkins, trees, fields ready for the harvest are favorites for me.  But the best part is at any given time during the fall, if you close your eyes and deeply inhale ...you will smell warm pumpkin and pecan pies cooling in the breeze.

What do your shoes say about you?

One of my favorite couples:  my best friend, Devon and her husband, Ben.  Their hearts' roots run deep in Mt. Ulla, NC.