Focusing On The Positive Things In Life
When I was a child, my favorite toy was a View-Master. You could stick a little round cardboard disk, or reel, that held seven 3D photographic images, into the View-Master. When you held it up to your eyes, it was as if the photograph came alive and you were transported to another place and time. The travel reels were my favorite, and I would watch them over and over again. The Eiffel Tower in France, Big Ben in England and the Taj Mahal in India were the images I most preferred.
I thought those places were exquisite and I longed to see them one day.
Fortunately, I have been able to see the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben, but I have not yet seen the Indian Mausoleum. Traveling has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I love seeing the stunning architecture, breathtaking vistas and the unique details of lands both at home, in the United States, and abroad.
I love seeing the commonality and the differences between people in various parts of the world. Through my travels, I have discovered that we all have basically the same needs and wants. We want health and happiness for our ourselves, our families and our friends. We encourage our children to thrive, to go beyond what they think is possible and to make a difference in the world. Finally, we want to love and be loved. The differences between us, such as the language we speak, the food we eat and the things we hold dear are all a part of what makes the world more interesting and exciting.
All of my life, I have looked for the beauty in every situation that I have been in. I have been blessed with a mother and grandparents who taught me to especially look toward the awe-inspiring aspects in nature. A array of patterns and color spectrums in a stunning sunset, the smell of a narcissus bloom, the intricacies of a mushroom growing on a tree or the taste of a muscadine just picked off of the vine on a hot, Southern summer day are all things that they have encouraged me to become acutely aware of. They have taught me to find beauty in these things and to search for peace in nature and any of my surroundings.
They also taught me to look for the best in others. I am a firm believer that most people are good and are trying to get by in life the best way they can. I believe that for every terrorist, there are thousands of heroes. There are people who would help others, literally at the drop of a hat. I have seen numerous acts of kindness that totally negate the evil in the world.
I try to focus my art on the positive side of life, because I believe that there is still much to be positive about. There is still goodness to be found, whether it is from the kindness of strangers, a lovely well-tended garden, rolling hills, funny animals or a breathtaking view of nature. If I can uplift someone’s spirits, even a tiny bit, through my photography then I would feel that I have done what I set out to do. Please enjoy these photographs and let me know if I can help you in any way. Thanks so much for stopping by.