I was having a look through a few photographs recently and realised I had not taken many pictures of late. I seem to go in phases of taking pictures, then have periods when nothing seems to catch my attention. As a someone who has been taking pictures for many years, and one who loves to observe life as it unfolds before us, this struck me as rather strange.
- Had I not seen anything of interest? Surely not.
- Had I not been to new places where something caught my attention? Odd, I have been traveling around as much as ever.
- Have I left my camera behind? Even if I don’t have my ‘proper’ camera’ I, like many of us, are seldom that far from our cell phone which has a good camera.
So what was the real issue?
This question really did get me thinking, and made me feel a little odd too.
The initial answer I came up with: “I have been busy” – was far too lightweight. The real answer, when I dug a little deeper, was that I had become very submerged with my inner thoughts. I was not enjoying the wonderful world around me.
Sadly, the thing that has snapped me out of this phase was the death of Colin Vearncombe, also known as Black, who wrote and sang the brilliant “Wonderful Life’. The original version, sung by him, is amazing. I heard this played by a steel band in a Cathedral on a special winters night shortly before Christmas, so tantalizingly evocative. I have also heard it played on a saxophone – just awesome.
With these memories all stirred up, I knew it was time to lift my head. Time to look the world straight in the eye. Time to look at the wonders of life I see everyday. Time to reconnect with the world around me.
There is always a brilliant new year in front of us; it really is up to us to grasp every opportunity. Apparently if you gently hold a stinging nettle it stings you, yet if you grab it with conviction, the sting is less. This may seem odd, and I have not tried it, but the metaphor may well be a good one for our life.
Are you trying to play safe and tentatively ‘hold the nettle’? Or are you grabbing the year ahead and looking at the wonders that abound?
I know what I wish to do – do you?
If you need some help in setting and delivering your plans do give me a call, it will help you have a better picture of what your future could, should, can hold.
My best wishes,
Peter
