Serenity is Mine to Keep: Serenity, Photography and Creativity

Serenity is Mine to Keep: Serenity, Photography and Creativity: Over the past few months I have spent time getting to know my new camera.  I have had it for a little while now and am enjoying the discover...

Serenity, Photography and Creativity

Over the past few months I have spent time getting to know my new camera.  I have had it for a little while now and am enjoying the discovery of being creative.  I find that there is a sort of serenity in capturing a photo especially since I tend to focus on the nature that surrounds me.

There is a peacefulness to being able to focus intently on one very small piece of the world that surrounds us.  It's a sense of serenity that is calming and beautiful.  I find that when I have the camera in hand I notice little things that would normally just pass me by.  Or even if I don't have the camera in my hand I am finding that I look for beauty in the surrounding space.

This is a new hobby for me and I am still learning the "tricks of the trade" so to speak, but I am finding that each day I can easily look at the world with a more creative vision.

Now, I know that I will never be a professional photographer nor will my photographs be hanging in a gallery somewhere or published somewhere other than here in my blog or on my Facebook page or Twitter feed, but I'm okay with that, because I'm doing this for me and while I'm happy to share some of my photos, it's really only for my serenity.

I never really thought of myself as an artistic person.  I can be creative in my own mind but usually it doesn't translate well into reality, until now.  It seems that photography has brought forth my creative, perhaps even artistic side and that makes me happy.

So, I would like to recommend that each of us find the creative, artistic side to ourselves and produce for you and once in a while share your creativity with the world around you.  You will find that serenity will flow within and throughout you when you become comfortable with the artistic side of your personality.

Enjoy these photos and find the serenity that flows in the world that surrounds you.

Serenity and Anniversaries

On Monday I celebrated my 34th wedding anniversary, usually unless it falls on a weekend we celebrate it separately since we are rarely in the same place.  This year my husband took the day off to celebrate with me.  But unfortunately fates were against us and on Saturday he came down with a awful head-cold.

So the question of the day - how to maintain an aura of serenity when life disappoints you?

The answer - you go with the flow.  Instead of spending the day wandering around town and local museums with dinner at restaurant in town, we spent the day relaxing at home, a quick shopping trip at a local warehouse store and went out for dinner at a local sushi place.  When you're married for 34 years you learn to just go with the flow, sometimes.

Over the past couple of years I have changed my thinking about anniversaries.  For a long time I kept hoping that I would be surprised and that I would be swept off my feet with some large romantic gesture, but that isn't what marriage is really about, that's what dating is about.  Marriage is commitment, give and take, arguments, misunderstandings, forgiveness and respect.  Love is always a part of it but over-the-top romance is not always a necessity.

I read a lot of romance novels and each one is over-the-top filled with romantic situations and they are wonderful to read, but I often wonder if these books are written by people who are looking for romance in the wrong places.

If the person you married was once upon a time very romantic when you dated, why shouldn't things change.  Would you really want it to stay the same as when you were dating?

So the answer to the question how to maintain serenity when life disappoints - the best way is to acknowledge the disappointment, take a deep breath, realize that change happens and that life moves forward.

Romance isn't dead, it's simply different, it's under the surface and shown in small ways by husbands and wives or partners.  I find my serenity in this knowledge and by accepting it there is no disappointment.

Move on, Move forward, Find Serenity!

Finding Serenity When You are Exhausted.

So for the past year or so I have been having sleeping issues and no I do not have sleep apnea, but I do have issues with shutting off my brain.

I have tried really dark rooms, no noise, soft meditation music, reading boring books, etc, but still my mind won't shut down, then someone suggested that I have my hormone levels checked and sure enough there was a discrepancy, which has now been fixed with a simple cream that I put on morning and evening and for the most part I am now falling asleep relatively quick.

Last night I didn't put on the cream and I had a very rough night so today I am exhausted and exhaustion seems to make it difficult to locate my serenity, but I followed my plan for the day and this evening connected with friends and family.  This is the way to ensure the ability to find my serenity at the end of the day.

I have learned to take deep breathes, learned to enjoy small things in life.  A friend who's a great professional chef once told me that dinner should always be enjoyed even if it's just a bowl of soup and a roll.  He told me to set a place at the table, put on music, pour a glass of wine, grab a book and sit down at the table and dine - no matter what I'm eating.  I have never forgotten that advise and no matter what in the evening I dine.  It's the beginning of the process of finding serenity at the end of my day.

My mistake last night was not following my plan, instead I ate late and left on the tv so I could watch the hockey game and while I love hockey I should have known better, then I didn't spread on my cream or refill the humidifier, so I slept poorly.  Tonight I followed my plan and yes writing on my blog is part of my plan. So I truly believe that tonight I will have a great night's sleep.

I would love to hear from people who are reading my blog.  Send me a comment with how you find your serenity.

Have a great night's sleep, enjoy your meals - dine don't just eat and do your best to find serenity in all that surrounds you each and every day!

Every day life and finding my serenity.

This week has been peculiar. I have begun to question if there is a way for me to contribute in a more concrete way to my family, my community and most importantly - myself.  

It has been a week filled with self doubt - doubt professionally, doubt financially, doubt in choices and personal doubt.  It didn't happen suddenly, but has been building steadily over the past few weeks and I have to say that it has made finding my serenity a little challenging. 

At the end of each day I curl up in bed with the Kindle app on my IPad and immerse myself in cheesy romance novels. It relaxes me and allows me to disengage from reality and go sleep with a smile on my face.  

Does it remove the self-doubt? Not really, but perhaps this isn't something that should be removed. Maybe a having a little doubt in our lives is a good thing.  Perhaps it's what keeps moving forward, questioning our daily routines.

The days when we question, the days when we find doubt surrounding us are the days we must strive for the serenity.  So I will end this blog by telling you how I locate my serenity on a tough day -

    I close my eyes, breath deeply, exhale and picture something serene, usually a waterfall or an empty beach on a sunny warm day and then curl up with a trashy romance read. 

Finding my serenity doesn't remove the doubts, but it does mitigate the effects.

So recognize the doubts, but don't let them overtake you, find your serenity each and everyday.

Finding Serenity during Chaotic Happy Holidays.

So here we are at Christmas and next week New Years, a time to look back, look forward and be present in the joy of this season.

But, how do we do that and maintain our serenity?  It's a definite conundrum.  So let's think about this.  How about the following ideas:

When looking back over the past year keep your focus on what went well in your life - I know that mine included a wedding (my daughter and her new husband-now my son-in-law), completion of the renovations on my home, parties with my friends and family, and trips to destinations I always wanted to visit.

Yes, when I look back there were also some harsher moments, moments that I will remember but I cannot allow them to negatively affect me as I go forward into the new year.  These moments shape me but should not define me, they must be relegated to memories of the past, a past that I can let go of as the new year rapidly approaches.  I know that by looking forward this way I will be able to maintain my serenity.

In the present there is nothing but joy, happiness and beauty if you allow it in.  I personally love seeing all the houses in my neighborhood lit up, I love the smell of a live pine tree, I love delivering presents to my neighbors, going to the parties, conversations, sending out season's greetings cards and of course all the eating.  What's not to love?

And looking to the future - well who know's what 2016 will bring?  I look forward to pursuing new relationships, new directions for the nonprofit I work with, losing a few pounds, pushing myself to be in better physical shape, enjoying the life that surrounds me and enjoying the serenity in knowing that I can find my own joy each day.

Yesterday at a breakfast meeting Santa showed up and I couldn't help myself from bubbling up with laughter and smiles as I watched the children and the adults around me interacting with the jolly old guy.  Having Santa so close by me just simply filled me with joy as I had my picture snapped by a friend.  When I posted the photo someone asked me what I asked Santa for and jokingly I said, "Peace on Earth isn't that what everyone(adult) is supposed to ask for?", but in actuality I didn't ask for anything I just sat there smiling and laughing and enjoying the moment, because that is what the holiday season is really about, I think.

Finding Serenity is all about finding the belief in yourself that you can locate joy in things and the people that surround you, even the people who can't locate joy themselves can have someone like you in their lives who can find joy and serenity in each day.

A very joyful, fun-filled holiday season and happy new year - Welcome 2016!

Serenity, Almost Thanksgiving, Family and Friends

So here it is almost Thanksgiving and it's a time to reflect on the year and what we are thankful for and what has brought serenity into our lives.

This year has been remarkable for me.  This year our daughter got married, our son found his focus, our home was renovated and I found that in my active life I can find my own focus, my own happiness and mine own strength.

The wedding went well no major issues, a beautiful bride, a beautiful venue, great food, fabulous music, a day filled with families both older and newer, friends from near and far and the day ended filled with joy.

Our son moved back to where he was raised, opened a studio, works for a top art gallery/auction house and lives with his 2 friends in a great house but most importantly he has found his focus and hopefully his serenity.

One of my goals for the past year was to complete the renovations on our home, redo the kitchen, our master bath and the upstairs floors.  Over the past 10 months these goals were tasked and this past week the last part was completed.  Now I have the serenity of a home that reflects me, provides me with comfort and aids in helping me maintain my serenity.

What am I thankful for - a beautiful family, friends that have my back, a happy home (most of the time) and relatively good health.

I am also thankful that I have strength and the ability to acknowledge my tough moments, my sad moments, and the ability to find my serenity in all my moments.

Be Thankful, Be Happy, Be Filled with Joy and Find your Serenity in this wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!