I am forever amazed by the fact that this physical experience, as fleeting as it is, is filled with incredible moments like this when everything lines up perfectly in sync. And when I follow my inspiration, when I allow it to show up for me, it takes me to the exact places I need to go. If I don't pay attention, if I discount that inner voice that's urging me on, telling me what to do, not watching for signs to inspire me to pull off the road or leave the treadmill or change course in the middle of whatever I am doing, I miss opportunities to become more of who I really am.
I've missed many opportunities out of fear, doubt, worry or another voice that fills me with a million reasons why I need to stay at my desk rather than venture out. Who knows why I listen sometimes and choose to follow my gut.
This image came out of several serendipitous events. The hawk was taken a couple of years ago after moving to Colorado from Florida and meeting a guy who would impact my life in profound ways. I had never photographed birds before nor did I have the interest. But he was leading a "raptor shoot" and invited me to join him. This red tailed hawk is one of several birds I have photographed now because of him, and are some of my best images.
The landscape was taken a few weeks ago. I woke up on a Sunday to a light fog over the flatirons and a misty kind of rain. I love rainy days! Coming from the tropics to such a dry climate, weather like that always impacts my mood. I threw on my clothes, grabbed my camera gear and jumped in the car. I knew what I wanted when I pulled out of the driveway. But I didn't know exactly where to go for the vague image I had in mind. I headed east to the open spaces of the farmlands and rolling hills. I stopped a few times but wasn't getting what I wanted and feeling a little discouraged, started to head home. Just as I turned the corner I noticed this shack with it's look of amazement sitting in a field of freshly cut hay. If you look closely you will see that the farmhouse in the background has a giant American flag on it. I screeched to a halt on the side of the road and excitedly started shooting.
It wasn't until I got home to look at my images and started working in the digital darkroom that I felt this image come alive. It bridges the past and present together for me in such a way that speaks volumes about my need to pay closer attention to that voice that inspires and urges me out of my chair. Without that inspiration, I would not grow or create or become who I am meant to be.
But who is that really? And why does it matter? We all ask these kinds of questions: "What is the meaning of my life?" as if there were some simple answer.
I know that I am a person with a camera and a gut feeling that sometimes succeeds at capturing the moment. Someone who listens once in a while to her inner voice and has the courage to leave the comfort of her home to go exploring without knowing what's on the other side. And I know that I am pure energy with a need to experience and express through this physical body the urges of my soul. For now that is all I know and I am amazed that I know even that.
What amazes you?
