Quote of the day: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain
Imagine living a life with no regrets—no thoughts of “If only…” or “I wish I could…” or “I should have…”
Where Yes means “Yes!”
It is not as difficult as I once thought it would be. For me, it’s been a journey of learning that there is no one right way, that life unfolds as it should, and everything that happens can be learned from.
I now believe deeply that…
Everything is perfect
Just the way it is.
Even the painful parts are perfect
I am very blessed
But I’m not always thankful or feeling the blessings. Sometimes I get so focused on wanting something that I don’t have (like a pain-free vibrantly healthy life) that I lose sight of all of the blessings in the moment.
And sometimes I have clear vision and see the many blessings that surround me.
I make choices every day, choices for comfort or safety, to avoid what I fear or go towards what I desire, and to open or limit life. Each day my choices help me practice living with no regrets.
Almost 3 years ago I made a choice to pursue what I deeply love—photography—with my whole heart and soul. It has taken time to gain perspective on that choice and recognize that it was, indeed, a choice to live with no regrets. It’s also a choice that I make over and over each day, each week, each month.
Fear slides in on quiet feet and I find myself needing to remember to go towards what I want and not away from what I’m afraid of. Sometimes the culture’s messages get to me and I start wanting stuff that I don’t need. And sometimes I feel as if I need the status of “success,” whatever that is.
I’ve learned so much, during this time. Much of the learning has nothing to do with photography— including how difficult it is to stop listening to the voices of our culture about what success is, how I fear not having enough, and keep wanting more stuff and more status.
But I also learn from my experiences as a maker and creator. Whenever I make choices to follow my heart and creative voice and let go of all the stuff about how to create a successful blog or how to use social media to promote your business, I make creative leaps that fill me with joy. I’m learning to be careful what I say “Yes” to.
Trumpeter swans fly over Mississippi River
The more I listen to my creative spirit and let go of a desire to make money or create a “successful” business, the more good things happen in my business as well as in my life.
This afternoon we drove up to Monticello to visit a small park along the Mississippi River where for over 30 years, a couple has fed trumpeter swans during the winter months. Because the power plant upriver warms the river water, the water stays open during the winter months, providing a haven for waterfowl, including the beautiful, once endangered, trumpeter swans.
I first heard about this swan haven from John Gregor, a photographer and teacher from Two Harbors, Minnesota. He showed us some magnificent photos he had made of swans there and explained about the woman who had fed the swans for so many years.
The park isn’t very big, and today there were no swans to be seen along the river but there were lots of ducks, quacking and making a wonderful racket. Before long we saw 4 trumpeter swans fly down river and a while later fly back up river.
Now that I’ve seen how close this place is to where I live (little more than a half hour drive) I plan to make many visits there this winter to watch and photograph the swans. I love doing things like this and I’m pretty sure that without my love of photography I wouldn’t take the time to make these trips.
A view of Mississippi River from Swan Park in Monticello
My love of photography is also taking me back to my love of art and drawing. I recently discovered a kind of “doodling” and drawing that I liked a lot. This weekend I used a gift card to buy materials and a book at an art store to start playing with it. It’s called Zentangle and you can find lots of information on this fun doodling kind of drawing on the internet.
It’s a perfect way for me to move back into drawing and sketching.
Zentangle – my sketchbook, pens, and book about it
Ducks in Mississippi River
Swans flying
A view of the river
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