Music and Nature

On a website production site, the question was posed: What is your favorite music to shoot images by?  I'd never thought about it, but why not?  Truly music motivates, moves, spurs creativity. The universal sound of music is the universal language. I did not make that up. It just is.  So why I never before thought to shoot to tunes is beyond me? Technicals?  

You know, it could be simply that I want to BE in nature and listen to the musical sounds of nature.

So many rivers have been crossed, so many more to go. As life reminds me that there is no permanence, I am equally reminded of the many blessings I've known (or even not recognized until later) 

What is your favorite music? What do you listen to to pick you up, wind you down, help you move through and forward?  What makes it work? Is it the words or the beat?  The beat....

More later.

Water off Alki point -- image above

You know, I know it's not a perfect shot. It's soft. It lacks detail.
For me, it is packed with emotion and that's why I posted it. It just fits.
The story behind it is simple. We went to do a Sunset shoot a few years ago. It was a nice day and we had no real plans. Just took our gear, had a beverage and waited for the sunset. It wasn't a great one. It was slow in coming and with few clouds, there wasn't much to focus on.
As the evening came to a close, we turned west. This dreamy shot appeals to me as it would the romanticist looking for calm waters. Like I said, it just works. And what's great is it's MINE!

Healing

Sure, in the 90's we all focused on spiritual healing. We talked. We went to self help groups, often with a 12 step focus. We did the "support group" thang. Many went to the Course in Miracles, joined spiritual study groups, while others did pricey self help groups often considered cults. All of these things really taught the same thing! We told our story, we shared our experience, strength, and hope. We listened to yours! We learned to be, do and have, in that order. Be where you are, practice honesty, practice being true to yourself and others, and clean up your past. Make amends. Make good on past mistakes, pay past bills, settle old accounts. Finish unfinished business on all levels. Talk things out. Journal.....Healing was a lot of mental or emotional work. Was it ever WORK! It was exhausting but necessary.

I titled today's blog Healing and wondered at how much has changed. Today, healing is much more simplified. I fell, I injured my shoulder. I had the required surgery. I have a long healing process before I can use my right arm. Healing! Heck, stirring a large glass of tea too fast can cause pain. Pulling blankets over me after my beloved has rolled over and took them with him can be a total pain. I can't use my right arm to do this, so I must literally get out of bed to reach over with my left! NUTS! But it's easy compared to the "healing work" that the teachers challenged us with. It's easy compared to the gut wrenching moral inventories that shook me to the core. It's nothing compared to growing up! I get to sit and relax and learn new things, play with new tools, figure out creative ways to work with my left hand. The joy of being able to slice with a sharp knife was almost funny. Equally funny was splatting a large spoonful of dressing all over the counter. By the time I am really healed, I'll also be ambidextrous. That is really good in a kitchen designed for a lefty.

Healing can take on many facets. The physical is the easy one in many respects. I am grateful for all the work I've done on my Psyche, but still find patience is key to any real healing. Patience comes and goes.