Your Story Matters

My focus for the New Year

I enjoy the beginning of the year. It’s like a fresh page full of possibility. I used to make resolutions but I’ve never been good at following through with them. That’s partly because I don’t like to feel pressured to do something and I naturally rebel againist rules. Resolutions feel like pressure and rules to me.

This year after reading about Chris Brogan’s 3 words, I felt inspired to choose 3 words to help focus my 2011. My 3 words for this year? Art. Health. Stillness.

• Art: Visiting Rome, Provence and Paris in 2009 gave me a new appreciation of art. I had never been so immersed in it and I felt more alive. This year, I want to learn about it and absorb it as much as I can. I feel like such a late bloomer in this area. It seems to me that art has a language. I want to learn that language. This year I hope to be more “art-full“.
• Health: I want to choose health not just physically but emotionally, spiritually, mentally and relationally as well. As I encounter daily opportunities, I want to ask myself, “In this situation, what is healthy?”.  I don’t think this will be black and white. In it’s purist sense, this is about boundaries.  I,  by the way, naturally rebel against bondaries, too. I know all too well, though,  that without them I’m like a goldfish out of the bowl – sucking air. So,  this year, I hope to be healthy.
• Stillness: Being still implies rest, quiet, meditation, prayer….stopping. I want less busyness and mindless distraction and more of just being. You’ve heard the line, “wherever you are, be there”. That’s what I’m going for this year and letting myself stop enough to feel pain and discomfort. That’s the path to healing and to the Healer. This year I hope to be still.

Be Art-Full.  Be Healthy.  Be Still.

What are your 3 words?

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Rancho Cordova is a beautiful place to live. I love being so close to the river and the American River Parkway. Hagen Park is so green with its many trees & grassy fields. After an early, fun, informal shoot there with my friends LaRee and Jeff, I went back to Hagen to create more photos. Here’s what I saw…

(click on the photo for a larger image)

Hagen Park Pond

Bird in Flight

Ducks in a Row

New Dog Park!

Taking a break, watching the cyclists

Here’s another photo with this couple on my 365 Blog

This weekend I downloaded the latest Craft and Vision e-book, “Chasing Reflections” by Eli Reinholdtsen. It’s full of beautiful photography and clear, helpful instruction on how Eli created her images. As with all Craft and Vision e-books, it’s only $5 to download.  You can’t beat the value and it’s a sure win for inspirational, educational photography reading.

After reading it for a bit, I grabbed my camera and head to downtown Sacramento with “new eyes” looking for story telling reflections. Here’s my first attempt:

Bus in the Window