Consider your why

What really matters to you? Why does it matter?

When you

Consider your why

you learn what matters most to you.

When I consider my why, I think about:

• Why do I make photographs?
• What is it about watercolor painting that I love?
• And why do I keep writing blog posts?

The quick, simple answer to ALL of these questions is JOY. These activities bring me profound joy.

Seeing through different eyes

Photography has helped me to see the world through different eyes. Now I see beauty and appreciate beauty everywhere I go. Taking my camera out into nature gives me a reason to go places and see things that I might otherwise miss. Though I often put off getting up to go out for sunrise photos, when I do make the effort to get up and go out I’m ALWAYS glad that I did. Simply being in nature when the day is new fills me with joy.

If you see my photos in this blog regularly you can tell that I deeply love flowers and trees. I make more photos of them than of anything else. But I find beauty in ordinary light and shadow, and all around us no matter where I am. When I share my photographs on my blog I hope that I am reminding others of all of the beauty and ordinary magic in this world.

Watercolor painting is fun

Watercolor painting is pure fun for me. I love how one cannot totally control watercolor paint. It goes where it wants to go, though with practice and learning one can guide it and shape it better. When I pick up a paintbrush and start playing around with watercolor paint. I feel like a kid again. For me painting with watercolors is a lot like life. I can have an idea of what I want to do or create, but often I get surprised and delighted in ways I could not have anticipated.

Watercolor painting is a mix of purpose and intention with surprise and serendipity. I love that. It helps me to remember to not hold too tightly to my purpose and intentions, lest I miss some perfectly beautiful ordinary miracle that’s waiting to happen.

A tiny quick shading study for my landscape painting class

Writing blog posts makes me think

When I sit down every day to write a blog post (which I’ve been doing since we first began stay-at-home because of COVID-19) it is a kind of meditation. What am I thinking? How am I feeling? What do I want to write about today? Some days, I don’t have a lot to say so I share photos and quotes or poems. Other days I have a lot to say about what’s happening, what brings me joy, and what I think matters in life. I think that sharing in this way is part of my purpose to spread light and love and encourage joy and gratitude.

Last night I was thinking about whether I would continue to write daily blog posts, as it takes a lot of time to write and share a post each day. When I threw out the question in my mind, the answer was a clear and quick YES! But I also decided that I will begin taking one day a week off from writing, probably Sunday. A day of rest each week will help me continue this practice with joy.

How about you? What really matters for you? Is it time to consider your why?

May you walk in beauty.

An aside today — I just finished reading a beautiful book called Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. It’s a teen fiction book written about Mexican-American teen boys coming of age and discovering that they love one another. It is beautifully written and full of grace and truth — made me cry and laugh. Click on the book’s image to find a description on Amazon.