Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers....


Ok, this is totally off topic. But I thought it was worth passing on anyway.


When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.. He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children.

Spend time with your parents.

Visit with grandparents.

Take your spouse out to dinner.

Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.

Set your priorities.

The rest is just sand..

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'

The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

Please share this with someone you care about. I JUST DID!

LIFE ISN'T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS...
......IT'S LEARNING HOW TO DANCE IN THE RAIN

Monday, October 4, 2010

Regarding Children and Pets:







We wrap our lives around them, don't we.
Little globs of emotion, they are.

They are soft, vulnerable, and dependent to begin with, subtly changing into explorers and questioners seemingly overnight, then all of a sudden, they have figured out that they know it all, and we, the nurturers are somehow no longer the repositories of all knowledge that they once thought we were.

The emotions on our part, however, change little. I'm 58, but still "his baby boy" to my 92 year old father.

Has the core emotion changed?

I don't think so. Even though I am now the care giver, my Dad is still trying to make things easier for me, and to protect me in any way he can.

So where am I going with this?

There are only two emotions, love and fear.

Every other emotion can be traced straight back to their source, love or fear. It is the light side and the dark side, straight out of Star Wars. Once you start down the path to the dark side, forever will it dominate your destiny.

Resolving to stay well clear of the dark side, my goal as a photographer is to capture the light side; the emotions of love, devotion, protectiveness, softness, joy, rapture, anticipation. In no case, are these warm and fuzzy emotions shown more clearly than in children and pets.

Dogs, in particular, have the ability to completely overlook our human shortcomings, and treat us as their personal Gods, yearning for our touch and the tiniest word of praise. A good all over rub will drive most dogs into spasms of ecstasy. "Dear Lord, help me be the person my dog thinks I am..."

Children, while not quite as forthright in their emotions, display just as deep of an abiding affection as their canine counterparts, with far more variation in their expressions.

Portrait photography is all about relationships. There is no adoring puppy without a loving master; no curious child without a parent guiding the way. Even if the dog's counterpart isn't in the frame, the relationship is there for the world to see in the brightness of the eyes and the anticipation of the next scritch behind the ear.

For the adult, it is a bit different, but the photographer will try to capture the essence of their subject within the image, with the fun, love, and yes, pain and struggle that has led them to this particular moment and helped them become the person that they are now.

And you thought photography was just taking a picture....

No, portrait photography, for the professional, is nothing short of identifying, bringing out and portraying the soul. It's an awesome task!