I have been encountering a lot of magic moments, little moments of serendipity and joy and fun…and oh yeah, a moment that gave me a big AHA! moment, one that put me more firmly on a path that I didn’t fully accept that I was on but now realize that I have been on this path for a while now. Considering both B and I have been feeling burnt out and on overload with everything that has been going on, and the wedding now 23 days away, I am cherishing these little magic moments.
Today, I was at Whole Foods to pick up lunch (the easiest place for me to find lunch and where I always head if I didn’t bring lunch to work with me) and they had, are you ready, vegan chocolate mousse!!! Now this might not sound like a big deal, but when you are used to never having any of the dessert options and then you finally find something that you can eat, you start babbling like a loon to the checkout girl about how happy you are to have a dessert option.
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Also while in the grocery store, I saw a mom shopping with her three young kids, one of whom was wearing a silver sparkly cape! I asked him if he was a superhero, he said yes, and when I asked what his power was, I think he said being a mascot (or masking?) and fighting. I told him I don’t normally get to meet superheroes while grocery shopping and it was very exciting for me!
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B and I went out to Sunset Beach, NC, last weekend to see where we will be getting married (22 days tomorrow!) and where we will be staying the night before. Sunset Beach is gorgeous, and the water was warm enough to go swimming! I was a very happy mermaid. While we were strolling down the beach, my trusy camera over one shoulder, we passed a guy who looked familiar to me. “That looks just like Don, our wedding officiant,” I whispered to B. “I really think it is Don, let’s go see.”
We turn around, and go back to the gentleman sunning himself on the beach. “Excuse me, sir, are you Don Beach?” To our delight, it was him, and we got to meet his lovely wife as well, who will be our photographer. We found Don online and weren’t going to meet him until the ceremony, so I was very happy to have a serendipitous moment and meet him while strolling the beach. He had suggested Sunset Beach as the location, and I definitely have to agree that it will be the perfect location for us. 🙂
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And the AHA! moment? I was asked to shoot the Administrative Professionals Day luncheon that my work was throwing. I was there, shooting away, when the guest speaker started talking. She was talking about excellence in action — where do you feel excellent? What do you feel most alive doing? What do you need to be doing that you aren’t? What are your gifts that need to be expressed?
I felt like she was talking directly to me. The more she talked, the more something became crystal clear in my mind — photography. Photography is what I love doing. It is a gift and talent and passion that I was never expecting to find, and yet it is so much a part of me, and it is definitely when I feel most alive and engaged and present. And on my way back to the office, I had an image of myself as a full-time photographer, and it was a surprisingly easy image to hold onto.
Since then, I have been doing a bunch of photoshoots for work for an internal directory we are creating, and it just keep reminding me how much I have doing it. I’ve also started to take steps toward this goal. I replied to several Craig’s List ads looking for a photographer (haven’t heard back, but I figure just reaching out and saying yes, I am a photographer, was a great first step). I found out that one of my favorite photographer/bloggers will be offering consulting sessions that can be done electronically, and I wrote to see about pricing.
I started shooting on a whim, and the more I played it, the more I loved it, and gradually it became more and more of a deep love. To say and realize that I want to do this full-time, and to start taking steps toward that, is hugely exciting!
Flying Mermaid 