Open Window

A Maze

"How do we get out of here?"

According to Merriam Webster, a maze is either "a confusing intricate network of passages" or "something confusingly elaborate or complicated". He also says it could be "a state of bewilderment". Well I think this aptly describes what it feels like to be an American these days. We're caught in a complicated maze of events over which we individually have no control. There are hurdles to be conquered around every corner, and there's no clear, apparent way out of this maze we're collectively in. News, on a daily basis, is bewildering and confusing, if not downright frightening. We, however, are a resilient species, and the optimist in me believes that if we were smart enough to get ourselves into this mess, we're smart enough to get ourselves out. It took a long time to get here, and it may take longer to get out, but we can do it and at the end of the day we may be better for it.

The Huddle ©2011 Claudia Ward

I just hope leaders emerge from the huddle who will tell us all the cold hard truth, create a plan to get us back on our feet, and keep us on the right track. We need an intervention and a reality check - does anyone have the courage and strength of character to care more about us than his/her election or re-election? 

Bored?

The other evening I asked Peter, "When was the last time you were bored?"

His answer? ... "I can honestly say I haven't been bored since you left the bank a year ago."

That's a good thing, right?

Photo ©2010 Claudia Ward

See, I'm never bored.

 

Daily Ray of Hope

The Sierra Club has a website called the Daily Ray of Hope, a link to which was forwarded to me a few weeks ago by a very encouraging friend. She described these rays as a "bright spot" for her in box and a "potential photo exhibition space" for our photography. Once you sign up, the Sierra Club sends out "images and inspirational words" every day. Any one can submit images and you never know which image is selected until the email arrives.

I found yesterday's "Ray" particularly poignant as Peter and I continue to pursue and grow with our passion - photography. So I thought I'd share it with you too.

"It's actually a rare and precious thing to discover what it is you love to do, and I encourage you to remain unapologetically consumed by it. Be faithful to your gift and very confident in its value."  Jonathan Ive

Now if you, like me, have no clue who Jonathan Ive is, he's the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple, Inc. According to Wikipedia, he is the principal designer of the iMac, MacBook, iPod, iPhone and iPad. How could I have never heard of this man because he's materially changed our lives? Peter and I converted to the world of Apple a year and a half ago and have at least one of each of these hardware products, and we find we couldn't live without them, especially in support of our photography. So thank you Mr. Ive for your passion and your encouraging words.

This is my submission to Daily Ray of Hope today.

Photo by Claudia Ward ©2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Independence Day

Some of you think that Independence Day is the 4th of July and you'd be right, but my independence was conferred upon me one year ago today when The Bank of New York Mellon terminated my employment with their prodigious organization. I didn't know then how truly liberating this experience would be.

According to Merriam-Webster, independence is "the quality or state of being independent" as in:

1. "not subject to control by others", i.e. having control or rule over oneself, and 
2. "not affiliated with a larger controlling unit".

There can be great comfort in being affiliated with a larger controlling unit. Responsibility and accountability is generally shared which can defray some of the risks that come with employment of any kind. The rub however can be that you relinquish your rights to a truly independent voice and path, and submit to corporate control of your actions in business. I always enjoyed collaborating with colleagues, working toward a common goal set by management, but now I adore collaborating with my husband in our own endeavors working toward our goals. The risks are all ours and not defrayed in any way, but so are the rewards.

Many things have changed in the past year, I no longer do many things but rather do other things instead, for instance:

I no longer:

• Set an alarm to wake up and dread the sound of that alarm.
• Wonder if I can learn fast enough to do my job well.
• Dread going to work, because there's just too much of it.
• Lay awake in the middle of the night for an hour or two watching television in order to divert my mind from the business matters darting to and fro.
• Carry around a 5 pound Franklin planner scheduling and recording my every move.
• Wear contacts, make-up, business clothes or a watch.
• Go to a concrete office building everyday and sit in a box, commonly referred to as a cubicle.

I do:

• Wake up early on my own (generally with the sun) eager to get out of bed, wondering what I'll learn that day.
• Love getting to work early each day, hoping to pack as much as possible into every hour.
• Sleep through the night, nearly every night, for the first time in nearly 17 years.
• Check the date and time from time-to-time on my iPhone.
• Wear glasses, no make-up, and comfortable, casual clothes every day.
• Go to the beach, farm fields and gardens to photograph all that I see and then sit at the island in my kitchen happily doing the work at hand.

I don't recall being quite this content in recent history and truly feel that this event has been a wide open window for me. At first, I cautiously looked through, apprehensive about the unknown. After about eight months, I was standing firmly on the sill, leaning in to see what more I could see and do. And after about 10 months, I jumped through the window embracing these new circumstances, excited about where they may take us. I haven't closed the window, I still need to see where I've been from time to time - besides that would be like "burning the proverbial bridge" and we know what "they" say about that.

Twelve months after one of the major deciding events in my life, one over which I had no influence, I'm excited and enthusiastic about the future and what we can make of it for ourselves.

Cheers!