Perspective

We are carried along by our thoughts
now gently, now violently
according as the water is angry or calm
every day a new fancy
and our humor shifts with the shifts in the weather

Michel de Montaigne liberally quoting Heraclitus



This is Isabella in this image. It is an image similar to that which I posted yesterday of her sister but I could not deny its importance in my day today. Her day, and that of her sisters, did not start out this way. It started more like THIS! Also blipped today.

We arrived in Florida for our vacation yesterday. The trip had been planned for months. Every single detail planned and mapped out. The condo rental, the restaurants, the wine, the books, the stand up paddleboards and, of course, the correct camera equipment? All of it planned in bloody detail like a warrior heading out for battle. But, there was a temporary chink in my armor and the day got off with a dose of frustration.

I am a light sleeper and heard the thunderstorms begin their distant rumble at about 2:30 this morning. I am also one who never wants to miss a good storm, especially one over the water in the middle of the night. I sat on the balcony and watched as it rolled towards me. With every passing minute, the ocean's wind blew across my face more briskly and it became quite saturated, making my skin feel like that of a baby. This storm came to entertain me at my door step complete with a fire works celebration, the light of which occasionally gave me the urge to run for my camera. But, I did not want to miss even one of its bolts of energy. The storm rolled endlessly. Twenty minutes later, I was surprisingly tired again and I returned to my bed to listen to the timpani of its bass laden symphony from the comfort of my pillow. It lulled me back to sleep.

I awoke this morning to more thick and dark skies and violent winds. And, with these meteorological conditions, came two long and disappointed faces. If that was not bad enough, then presented were these dreaded words from the eldest "I think it will storm all day, what are we going to do?". Her discourse ripped straight to the center of my heart and my mind added insult to injury when it said......"you forgot to plan the weather, idiot!" Shit, I knew I forgot one thing, I always do.

At this point, I tried to remember one of my parenting mantras!..I am here to guide and not just to provide. I launched into Parent Auto-Babble 101 and explained how "fortunate we are and how much fun we can still have and that one needs to find happiness under all circumstances". They got the whole lecture, chapter and verse, right over their bowl of fruit loops. But the truth is, I was equally frustrated and, in fact, pissed off at the randomness of vacation weather.

Where there is hope, there is life...... so I dragged them down to the beach for a long walk in the driving rain. It was delightful for all and I think, for a moment, they realized that life is what you make of it.

Roll forward three hours and I snapped this image with a 400 mm focal point to feel her point of view. She had heard my view at the breakfast table and, now, I had shared in hers.

You might be interested in seeing her blip today: LaBella13

Thank you for your wonderful comments on yesterday's blip. I am loving the beach and happy to be "decorded" so, please, excuse me for my lack of comments.