An Object Lesson:

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go up to Red Rock's Amphitheater with a couple who had been married for one day. Not even a full 24 hours! It was so fun to photograph them and capture the love and happiness they shared. Even though they were so incredibly tired from the previous day's festivities!

We drove around to a few different places, taking some pictures and enjoying the visit. I knew that at some point I wanted to get onto the stage. There's some really cool spots there with cool textures and colors that I could see with my mind's eye as the perfect spots for some pictures of this awesome duo. I knew that if we parked at the top of the amphitheater, we would have to walk all the way down to the stage. It wasn't the walking down that felt so daunting to me. It was the return back up! So I decided to go to bottom parking lot so that we wouldn't have to traverse so many stairs. I was quite dismayed when I realized that my memory had failed me as we stood at the bottom of a very long and steep set of stairs up to the stage area! My companions began to climb without hesitation. It was easy for them. Of course it was ~ they're young and in love! I was reluctant, but began to climb. As I climbed, I kept looking at how far ahead of me they were. I kept watching the athletes that were there RUNNING up the stairs like it was no big deal at all! I kept looking at how far I still had to climb. I kept having to stop to catch my breath and rest my legs. Finally, after stopping for the third time, a thought came to me. "Stop looking at how far you have to go! Stop comparing yourself to others! Just take one step at a time. Focus on the next step and climb." So that's what I did! And I made it to the top without having to stop again! I was out of breath and tired, but I made it!

You can then imagine my disappointment when my friend said to me that we wouldn't be able to get onto the stage! It was closed because it was being set up for an event. However, determined to make the best of it and to not have climbed those miserable stairs in vain, I looked around and found a few great spots to do some pics!

Once back at the bottom, I took a moment to take a couple pictures of the object of my lesson. Once home and seated comfortably in front of my computer, I found a quote that would fit nicely and went to work designing.

I love how this little experience is really a wonderful lesson in life. How often do we set out to do something and then get overwhelmed with the difficulty of the tasks required. We look around and get feeling down on ourselves because everyone else is so much faster, stronger, better than us. We focus on how far away the goal is and get frustrated that we aren't making progress faster. It is in these moments that we need to pause and remind ourselves to "stop looking at how far you have to go! Stop comparing yourself to others! Just take one step at a time. Focus on the next step and climb."

We may find times when we are not able to do exactly what we thought we we going to do at first. Being flexible is a key element to being happy and to being successful! I will return to the amphitheater another day. I will climb the stairs again. I will take the pictures I want to take! And I will be stronger for the journey!

Happy climbing, my friends!!

Random Ponderings

Whenever I think about this blog I think how I wish I had more people following it. Then I think that maybe if I would write more often I would probably have more followers! I wonder if my content isn't funny enough. Isn't down-to-earth enough. Isn't good enough. But then I hear my mentor tell me that it isn't any of my business what others think!

Sometimes I wonder if it is vain to think that I could actually write something that others would want to read. And even more than just read but actually get something worthwhile out of! Oops, there I go again though worrying about what others are thinking. However, it does have to have a certain amount of importance as I consider just what to write about. I mean, who wants to hear about what time I woke up and a moment by moment run down of my day! I'd probably lose the few followers I do have if I were to do that!

I have a confession though. It is that I LOVE to write! I LOVE to share what I'm learning in this great adventure we call life. I feel like there are some really awesome things that I get to experience and I want to share it with everyone I know (and perhaps with a bunch of people that I don't know)! I believe that no experience that I have is for me alone. It is most definitely for my growth and learning, but I believe that I then have a responsibility to share what I have learned. Plus, it has been said that if you really want to understand something you should teach it. Each day is a new day to learn and be shown the wonders of God. Each day is a gift. Open it and experience it to its fullest. Make of this adventure all that it is meant to be!

Recently a Facebook friend posted this: "Tell me what you want, what you really, really want...in LIFE!" My answer is simple, but it is also very complicated. My answer is, "to help my family and serve others." What I really have to figure out is HOW do I accomplish this? I have been given talents, as we all have been, to help me accomplish this goal. My life-long quest has been to learn how I am to use my talents in the way that God wants me to. I know through experience that as I use my talents in the way I'm suppose to, others are blessed and I am filled with much joy and satisfaction. I FEEL God's approval. There just really isn't a better feeling than that!

What do you really, really want?!