The beauty of being balanced and in sync.



I am so ready to be in sync with the natural world again.

Every once in a while I want my life to be in perfect balance. I wish I was operating totally from my center. Not always - especially in the winter - do I find myself feeling in balance.

In the cold weather months, I read often, work on the computer, write frequently, and manage the cold temperatures, dressing in layers and layers to stay warm at our horse barn. No matter the weather, there is always work to do there, and then I spend indoor time steeping tasty teas and wrapping in warm quilts.

Sad to say, I withdraw in the winter like a hibernating bear, mainly because of the cold and snow. In Western New York, those winter days can be a challenge, making it difficult to keep the car on the road safely. Besides, taking pictures of snow covered trees and hillsides becomes a bit boring. Consequently, I take fewer photos and do more word puzzles.

Often winter is the time of year I pour over photos I took during the other three seasons of the year, categorizing, cropping, and manipulating the best in photoshop, just in case I can enhance them. I take a photoshop class or two on Betterphoto.com. I work at creating new greeting cards for my card business; I enjoy putting Christmas gifts together so friends and family get something special from me.

Come spring I'm ready to get in sync again. As many of you know, I am an English riding instructor and summer camp director. So spring means organizing staff, recruiting campers and getting our facilities in shape for summer. There's lots of outdoor time in warmer temperatures, reconnecting with all those wonderful folks who love horses, the land and our camp spirit.

Trillium speak to us of hope and promise.

Spring inspires me to take colorful photos. Watching tulips, crochuses, cherry trees and rhodedendrohn unfold their beauty is special. Looking for good lighting becomes an adventure. Working a subject takes on new meaning and then there's my visit to the Buffalo Botannical Gardens, truly a photographer's delight.

I get excited for the spring mud to disappear so I can hike the woods and maneuver streams until I find hillsides of trillium. Like the geese returning and the blackbirds singing, the trillium are a genuine sign that warmer temperatures are not far away.

Then summer engages me. Time around the horses is relaxing, and 'in sync' helps me remember that photo advantage. Because we photographer's notice natural, unique details everywhere, we delight in new growth, shades of green, and rainbows of color. We catch faces of children who are free to explore outdoors and love the animals in their lives. In my heart I join them in their puddle splashing and horse hugging. I also celebrate that once again I will be balanced. Hallelujah! Amen.

Comments are welcome. Hope you're anticipating lovely spring photographs.