An Ordinary Day

I’m still moving slowly here at home, recovering ever so slowly from a flareup of digestive issues. Today is another

Ordinary Day

in a string of ordinary days during an extraordinary time in our world. My heart goes out to all who are suffering today, whether it be from illness, loss, anxiety or loneliness. May you find comfort and healing.

I’ve made a few new photographs with my nifty-fifty lens again this morning. This lightweight wonky plastic lens is making me so happy as I play with it. I’m still using a wide open soft lens at f/1.8 for many images. But I’m also playing with the level of softness and often moving to f/2.5, f/4.0 and even f/8.0 for some images.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t still need to remind myself that my life is not just what’s handed to me, nor is it my list of obligations, my accomplishments or failures, or what my family is up to, but rather it is what I choose, day in and day out, to make of it all. When I am able simply to be with things as they are, able to accept the day’s challenges without judging, reaching, or wishing for something else, I feel as if I am receiving the privilege, coming a step closer to being myself. It’s when I get lost in the day’s details, or so caught up in worries about what might be, that I miss the beauty of what is.”
― Katrina Kenison, The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir

This moment, then the next

This morning my amaryllis bud is showing more color and expanding! Every day it changes. And every day I am thrilled with how it has changed.

Now I’m sitting in front of my computer working on images, sipping a big mug of hot water, and writing my daily blog post. When I’m struggling with not feeling well, I feel like all of my ideas for writing fly out the window and I’m left contemplating daily life and small comforts. My focus narrows to this moment, then the next. Despite the fact that I would rather not be dealing with this gut issue right now, it seems small in the larger scheme of what is happening in the world today.

So I count my blessings and sip hot water and write a few words about what it’s like in this moment for me.

I’m wondering how all of my friends and loved ones are today and hoping that you’re all enjoying this mild sunny December weather. For me, every day without snow in December is a blessing.

“It has taken awhile, but I certainly do know it now ­­– the most wonderful gift I had, the gift I finally learned to cherish above all else, was the gift of all those perfectly ordinary days.” ~ Katrina Kenison

And I am cherishing this day, this moment, this world with all my heart.

May you walk in beauty.