Props

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azaleas

Today I was shooting a product here at my house that was screaming for these delicate babies  as props.

I have been shooting more and more propped, staged shots recently and I am LOVING it. I love setting a bit of a scene without making the shot appear to have been staged. I always want anything I shoot to look like someone just dropped the items in the photos as they appear. Those excellent photos you see in magazines - never like that. Those shots take multiple professionals and hours of labor to make the photographs appear the way they do.

The trick in the world of commercial (and often personal) photography is to make it all look like it just happened naturally and without effort. The real truth is it all takes work. So even though it all looks effortlessly perfect, the good looking stuff stuff always happens with a lot of work and elbow grease.

Isn't that really true about everything though? Haven't we been taught that the real stuff takes work and props and hours of preparation? So why do we still ruminate on other peoples lovely Facebook photos and their well-curated lives? Why is it that we feel the need to compete with something that has been staged and propped beyond comprehension? Those friends of yours at Disney World in their matching outfits....that just didn't happen magically. Take your filters off. There is a lot you may not be seeing. Tantrums. Threats. Bribery. A mom with PMS and a dad with a hangover. It all looks good in the photograph. But it's all propped the same as my commercial shoots always are. Outfits are bought ahead of time. Tickets were purchased well in advance. Travel plans coordinated months prior to the posting of the photo. And that photo - they knew exactly where they wanted it taken. It wasn't a happy accident. It rarely ever is.

So my advice is this: Take the lenses off. Remove the props. Things are the same on the other side of the screen for all of us. The struggle for perfection can be real for some people. But don't buy in. Because the real stuff is where you get to the juicy center part. That's where life is lived.

And those props...they are just there to soften those hard edges. 

The fight against Time.

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gamers

These days are limited...these days of innocence and youth and wonder. We are on the precipice of something huge for this boy. He has literally (and I do mean literally) grown over and inch in a month. It's a matter of days on the calendar that I will be looking up at that sweet round face and those gorgeous green eyes. It's a matter of days that I will be worrying more than I ever could have imagined possible.

But days where playing card games is cool are coming to an all too brief ending. And as excited as I am for him, I have to say that I am equally as heartbroken that Time has to be so cruel. She has already stolen so much from me: My age. My baby. My parents. She steals the innocence of a pure heart...full of wonder, hope and possibility.

I will fight Time and her jaded ways. I will battle her every step of the way. Not because I don't want to age or grow wiser, but because I don't want it all to be over so darn fast. I want to linger here for a while, savoring a few things a little longer. The past 13 years have slipped through my fingers. Trying to stop it was like trying to hold ice on a sultry South Carolina summer day. It just happened despite my best efforts.

So I guess that's it. I will fight the process, even though it's bound to happen regardless. It doesn't mean I have to like it....even if I know it's coming.

Discipline

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homework

We have learned a lot around here these days on the topic of discipline. Not the "you are in trouble" kind. But the "get it done" kind of discipline. It's been a topic of conversation lately. I am no stickler for grades because I think we have an archaic system. Whose to say that grades are actually a measure of what you are learning. But we live in a system that doesn't want to change and seems to keep measuring our kids by the same standard we know doesn't work.

I digress.

When I noticed Graham's grades starting to slip, I decided to dig a little deeper. Turns out, my child has the same disorder most of the world suffers from - lack of discipline. His grades have been slipping because he lacks the discipline most 12 year old boys lack. He's distracted with hormones and friends and electronics and life. Because being 12 is actually harder than it looks.

So our work together these days is in getting the hard work done first...for both of us. I have to make the calls I don't want to or deal with the my looming and inevitable taxes. He has to read that extra chapter and study for those quizzes he knows are coming. In turn, I report to him about my struggles with work and he reports to me about his where his struggles are with school. End result: we both have a cheerleader and we both crossed crappy tasks off our lists of things to do.

I think kids need to learn early on that their struggles are real. However, I think they need to realize they aren't alone in them. I never knew my parents struggled. Or other kids. I think it's okay to tell them a little bit of that. Mostly, I think it's important for them to know they are not alone in their battles. They have support.

So we are learning a lot about discipline right now. And elbow grease. And grit. And hard, hard work. Sweaty work. Getting your hands dirty work. Not just here. But all over our lives. And the result is going to be the harvest he reaps come report card day.

And if it all works out, we just might celebrate with a little gelato!

 

Feeling Blue

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belladog

It's not easy being this girl...can't you tell?

Someone has a case of the blues today. Rainy days and busy people make for sad puppy dogs around these parts. I have been working my fanny off and haven't had as much time for fun with her. Not as many walks or balls thrown. And she feels it. Can't you tell.

Don't worry Bella. I see a happy forecast in your future of ball throwing and beach time. And that's a promise I can keep.

 

Healthy snacks

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kale

I have been working really hard the past few months on my nutrition and changing a few things. I have always been a healthy eater and enjoy most foods. I devour my Farm Share from Jim every week when it gets here in about 2 days flat. Nothing excites me more than fresh food.

As much as I like the fresh stuff, I find myself snacking on things I don't need. Cheese. Chips. Hummus. And being gluten free limits my choices some days.

So I have been working with my girl Jessie over at Best Kept Self on a nutrition plan that I can really get behind. And despite some road bumps (we shall never mention the smoothies again), I have done really well.

One of the things I have work hardest on is changing up the snacks...chips for kale chips sprinkled with sea salt. Cheddar cheese for edamame cooked to the perfect al dente texture. So far, I haven's missed much. Until the past few days at least. Nobody is perfect, right?

I have struggled these past few days with a sick child and a sick me. So when you need health to take a front seat and actually command some control, it somehow slips into the background making convenience take the wheel. Whatever is in my fridge seems to be what I grab for first. And whatever is good for me is out the door with any warm thoughts.

I saw the effect on good health a few weeks ago and it was amazing. I got the inevitable winter cold. For me, they usually last 2 weeks. This lasted 3 days. I was floored. It was the proof I needed. My body fat doesn't want to budge, but a cold running it's course in 3 days was PROOF of wellness.

So today, I will snack on kale chips. Tomorrow, I will down some fresh juice first thing. And pump up those vitamins. Because there is nothing better than a little TLC for yourself.

Make a wish...

birthday

My nephew, David, turned 21 yesterday. What a monumental occasion for such a great guy. Twenty one is a big age. Not just because you can drink alcohol. But because you really become the first version of yourself as an adult. It's the first of many big stepping stones to adulthood.

As he blew out the candles on his birthday dessert last night, I really thought about all those wishes I have made over the years. It made me wonder what I would do differently if I could go back to 21 and make all my wishes over again and how all those birthday wishes would be so very different. They would have less to do with financial riches and more to do with spiritual wealth and abundance. I would ask for much more clarity in matters of the heart. I would seek out inner peace and true joy instead of just - more. More money. More time. More love. More of what I don't need. Mostly, I would wish for the gift of my greater purpose here on this blue marble we call earth.

Don't get me wrong. It's not that I have wasted my life wishing for selfish things every year. It's just that I know I would ask more directly for purpose, clarity, joy, and peace.

From here on in, I think I will wish more clearly. Be it on the stars in the sky or the candles on my cake, I will wish for the juicy goodness that comes with our purpose.

 

Growth

growth

Clear the weeds. Prep the soil. Level the dirt. Lay the groundwork for the big work to be done. Then you will grow bigger than ever you imagined.

look...and see.

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sunset

Mysteries, Yes

Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.

How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity,
while we ourselves dream of rising.

How two hands touch and the bonds
will never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.

Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.

Let me keep company always with those who say
"Look!" and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.

—Mary Oliver

 

Welcoming Spring.

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tulip magnolia

Over the years, there have been many symbols that showed me the onset of Spring. Changing temperatures are a clear sign. But it's those visual pieces that stir me to remember the joy that Spring ushers in with her arrival.

When I was a child, the crocus blooms peeking up through the melting snow in our backyard were my first sign of the excitement of Spring's approach. In high school and in college, the budding azaleas made me pull out my shorts and search for the sunscreen.  And later, the lovely daffodil bulbs that carpeted my backyard in the south were clear signs of the arrival of the party of Springtime.

In recent years though, I have bid farewell to Winter with the onset of these gorgeous blooms. The Tulip Magnolia is a sweet smelling spring tree that buds in my yard each year. I love what the tree (and really all of Spring) represents: rebirth and regeneration and growth and perseverance. The cycle of life - carrying on as it should - in beauty and grace.

So today was the magical day. Gloomy and cloudy and overcast and drizzly. But this has been trying to happen for a week and today was finally the day. I am so glad. Because all this means to me now is that spring is sitting on my doorstep, waiting for me to welcome it inside.

 

A horse is a horse...

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horse

Horses define so many good things to me - grace, beauty, strength, curiosity and sensitivity. I wish more humans were like horses.

This gal was curious. And perhaps a little put out that I didn't have anything to offer her for her moment in the spotlight. I will have to go back with some treats soon.

Planting seeds

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seeds

I am pretty sure that planting seeds is the most important part of gardening. Without the seed, there is no life. Sure, there is water and sunshine and nourishment and love that come into play, but nothing happens without that little seed. It's amazing how much power one of those little babies holds in it's tiny, dried up shell.

Every seed has potential. They just need special care to flourish as they were meant to. Sort of like ideas, thoughts, dreams. They need a place to grow. Someone to tend them. Nourishing those seeds is a full-time gig though. It takes hard work and perseverance. But it also takes love and light. Gentle care. With that, the seed sprouts and grows into something.

With the right care, all seeds become what they were destined to be.

 

cat naps

I am not much of a napper. I never have been (well... I guess high school was a different story). Neither is my child. (We can talk about that another time when I tell you how hard the past 13 years of my life has been.) But I have always been a little jealous of those that can slip in to an afternoon cat nap and come out feeling refreshed. If I do end up napping, it's usually because I am sick or exhausted. The end result is often me feeling worse than when I started. I guess I am just more of a "power through it" kind of gal.

But the animals in this home make napping look so decadent. Afternoon sun. Lounging on sofas. Lingering on comfortable, plush beds - complete with fluffy, feathered comforters and crisp, linen sheets. I can't help but to feel a little jealous from time to time as I push through deadlines, hot tea in hand, sun gleaming through the windows. I always want to cuddle up next to them in that afternoon sunshine for just a little while.

These pets though...they've got it made! I know there are frustrations being without opposable thumbs and all. Seriously though... I want to be resurrected as one of my very own pets.  Because they have THE LIFE!