What a year!

I think most everyone will agree that 2018 was quite the year and it held several surprises. Many we enjoyed, and some we would have rather done without. 

A year ago, I packed everything I owned into my Honda Fit (along with an irritated cat), said goodbye to my beloved beach, and drove across the desert to start over in Arizona. No job, an apartment I had rented sight unseen, and I only knew 3 people in the area. 

The lessons have been many to say the least. As mentioned in previous posts, there have been many curve balls, sharp left turns, some rocky slopes and some downhill slides. 

And ya know what? There were also the unexpected, awesome things that made me grin from ear to ear. And the positives completely outweigh the negatives. Actually, as I think about it, the negatives became positives with the growth and ultimate outcomes they spurred.

While I loved my two years living at the beach (southern California girl!!), my love of the desert has come back, my connection with nature has grown and my love of photography has been reawakened. Put me outside with a camera? Heaven. That was one of my happy surprises - had no idea how much joy something so simple could bring.

My biggest shift this year was in being able to change my focus from letting go of the past to focusing on what I want to be, do, have in the future. I've spent a lot of time the last 3 years letting go of the past, which was a process I needed to go through. I gotta tell ya, it's a lot more fun to focus on where you want to go instead of where you have been. 

I'm learning to take life a lot less seriously, stay out of the drama around me, and create fun as much as I can wherever I am. Life is short no matter how many years we have here. 

So I end the year with a good job working with good people, I just moved from the apartment into my own home, and I know more than 3 people....

So what simple things can you find to bring yourself joy? How many positive outcomes did you have to what initially were negative events? How much fun can you create? What are you focusing on for the future?

2019 is the year of Adventure - and I am sooooo looking forward to it! Buckle up Buttercup! Let's go see what experiences we can have and enjoy our time here!

Happy New Year everyone!

More sunrises to see.....

More sunsets to see....

And there is always light behind the clouds

Thankful for the bumps along the way

So sitting here, going through some photos taken over the past few days, feeling very blessed. Have a challenging week ahead, so am getting mentally prepared, you know, by doing things totally unrelated, like looking through photos....

Then it dawns on me, the end of the month is coming up quick (yeah, like ON FRIDAY), and I can't remember if I posted a blog this month. Didn't I write one early this month? So I look. Nope - posted two last month. Hmmm.....does that count for my commitment of posting something every month?? NO. 

Soooo, here we go.....

I guess this is my post-Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving message.  As I rapidly come up on the anniversary of packing up my car with everything I owned (along with an annoyed cat) and driving across the desert to start over in Arizona, I have a lot to be thankful for.  

Did everything go as planned? BWAHAHAHA!!!! Pretty much nothing went the way I expected it to.

And yet, here I sit at the end of November feeling very blessed. I had some pretty good bumps in the road this year, and while I wouldn't have thought it then, I can now be thankful for the bumps. I've learned a lot and grown a lot because of those bumps. I look at what others are going through in the world around me, and my stuff just doesn't seem so bad. Perspective is an amazing tool.

I am blessed by angels in my life who always seem to show up just when I need them. Sometimes they hold my hand and encourage me, and sometimes they give me the swift kick in the ass I need.

So here I sit, more ready than I have ever been for whatever is coming next. Thankful for the experiences I have had, and thankful for the continuing adventure.

I  guess my message is to enjoy the adventure, and find the blessings in the bumps, sharp left turns, and downhill slides when you can. 


Now, because it wouldn't be a post from me if it didn't have photos....

I hiked a different part of a trail for the first time recently, and I had to laugh when I realized it kind of summed up my year...

OK - let's get started. Little rocky, little bit of an incline, but not too bad.

Getting steeper, crap, not sure I like that edge, but doable...

Great - leveling off....

Sigh, more uphill, and a little bumpy

Great, getting bumpier,and still going up hill

OK, less bumps, but are you frickin' kidding me, more uphill??

Sharp turn!!! and keep going up....

OK, really? Is the whole thing up hill??

Excellent! Some direction!

Woohoo! Leveling off!!

MORE UPHILL????

Finally!!! Leveled off and starting down!!

  

Yeah, still more bumps

And more sharp turns, but least headed down!

Yay!!! Downhill the rest of the way and the end is in sight - kind of far off, but it's there!!

And the views.....happy sigh.....

Enjoy your adventures my friends!

...and sometimes you catch lightning.....

I was originally going to title this "Why you don't want to ride in a car, go for a hike/walk, or basically go anywhere with me" but that was a little long...

Many years ago I survived high school photography with James Haddy at Robert A. Millikan High School. (Not going to say exactly how many years, use your imagination...) Anyone who survived Mr. Haddy's class knew the difference between a "snapshot" and a "photograph." Turning in your weekly assignment was always a terrifying experience. After he hung over your shoulder in the darkroom while you were developing your film and creating your prints, as you handed in your assignment, he looked at your work, looked at you, looked at your work, and then put it in the pile with a sigh saying "that's the one you want to turn in??" (And to think I took photography because it counted as a science for graduation and would be easier than biology....yeah, right....)

I see pictures everywhere I go. The only difference is that now I am compelled to take the time to stop and actually take the pictures.

OK, so back to the part about why you probably don't want to go anywhere with me....

This is me the other morning:

Open the blinds, just about sunrise. AHHH!!! Look at the light on the clouds! This is going to be a great sunrise! (Grab my camera and step out on my patio.) Crap! Wrong angle - gonna miss it! Wait - over there would probably be a good angle!  (Throw something on so the mosquitoes don't eat me alive) Hurry up - the light is already changing!!!

Here's what my neighbors see if they look out the window:

A crazy woman in pajama pants, a hoodie up over her head like the unibomber, with white crew socks and flip flops, running around between the bushes and trees, and then climbing/hanging over the fence behind the apartment complex with a camera.


Me driving home from work the other day:

AHHHH! Look at the clouds and the angle of the sun! Gonna be a great sunset! Storm coming in fast. Can I get a shot from the car? Crap. (Me then holding my phone with one hand shooting random shots out the driver side window while looking ahead so I don't crash my car.) Shit! This is a GREAT sunset! Look at that storm!  AHHH!!! Traffic!! No exit for another mile - you're killin' me Smalls!!!  Finally an exit! YAY! Crap - nowhere to pull over. Wait - over there! Vacant lot! Take about a hundred pictures from as many angles as I can while the storm blows in. (The photo with the lightning and colorful rain above is from one of those shots)

What other people see as they drive by:

A crazy woman wearing nice work clothes in a dirt lot next to a construction truck and a port-a-potty, running around in the wind and being pelted by rain while taking pictures with her phone as traffic speeds by.


Me on a hike or a walk:

What a beautiful day! Look at that! and look at that! Lynette, don't you already have pictures of that? Yes, but the light is different this time! And look at the shadow! (Walk about 10 feet.) Ohhh look at that! That would make a nice picture!  (Walk about 20 feet.) Oh, there's a bird! Can I get a shot? Yay! Coming back - Oh! look at that! Wait, didn't you take a picture of that on the way out? Yes, but it looks different on the way back in! OK - just put the camera away and enjoy the walk/hike. About about 10 minutes later....Ohh look at that! Camera comes back out....


Basically me anywhere:

Oh, look at that! Pulls out phone....


It is such a beautiful world around us - we need to stop and experience it. We are all so focused on what's in front of us, the challenges we are facing, and what's coming up next, that we rarely take the time to actually see what's around us right now AND enjoy it. I happen to enjoy photographing it as well. I'm also happy to see that some of my friends are posting photos of the things around them as well.

Please don't speed by the sunsets without seeing them. Please don't race home to beat the storm without seeing the beauty of the storm. Look at the clouds - I can't tell you how many cloud shots I have. Be in awe of what's around you. 


Fast forward those many years - I can still hear Mr. Haddy as I take my shots. What's in the foreground? What's in the background? Are you sure that's the best angle? Where is the light source? Where are the shadows? Can you frame it better? 

Thank you, Mr. Haddy, for teaching me how to capture what I see.

From my sunrise excursion when dressed so delightfully...

The full lightning shot from my vacant lot vantage point

Various other shots from the road....

Before I could get off the freeway to find my vacant lot

Waiting at a signal on the way to work

AHHHH!! Pull over!! Pull over!! On the way home from work

From various hiking delays....

From hanging over the fence, standing in the weeds,

 at the dog park at my apartment complex

What ya looking at???

Yup - gonna be a good sunset!

And for every good photographer looking 

for the perfect shot.....sign? what sign?

"Things are only as important as I want them to be....."

"Things are only as important as I want them to be....."

Thank you Jon Secada

"I'm Free" (YouTube link)

In my previous blog I borrowed from David Bowie, and today I'm passing along a song I rediscovered a few weeks ago by Jon Secada. When you have a couple minutes take a listen - the lyrics are really good.

So it was a long, somewhat challenging week, and last night I was tired, hungry, and frustrated. After eating some dinner I felt somewhat better, but by bedtime I was starting back down the thought trail of "I'm frustrated with this" and "that should have changed by now" - you know, basically, "why aren't things the way I want them??" Old habits die hard.....

Finally kicked myself in the ass - "just knock if off and go to bed."  Had a restless night, and when I woke up I was still fighting it off. OK. Time to get serious. "You are NOT getting out of this bed missy until you get your head on straight." (good thing it's Saturday - it took a while, and I would have been very late for work on a weekday....) 

"You are going to appreciate everything today."  Everything?? "Yes, EVERYTHING."  "Do you have arms and legs that work?" Yes. "Then get them moving and appreciate that they work." Oooohhhh. OK. I see your point. "And be thankful that you are moving that lazy body out of a very comfortable bed."

Rain is in the forecast this weekend, so wanted to hit the trail this morning. Went to fix a quick breakfast so I could get out the door, and when I opened my pretty empty fridge, I regretted not stopping by the store on my way home last night. Kinda grumbled as I pulled together what I could that would feed my body for the hike. "Did you just open a refrigerator with food in it?" Um, yes. "Think about that. Do you appreciate your beautiful working refrigerator in your beautiful kitchen??" Um, no, I hadn't thought of that. "Well, that's something to appreciate too."

So you get the idea...

I stopped fighting with myself and started to open up and settle in to this appreciation game for the day. (The whole day??? "Yes, the WHOLE day.")

Threw on my trusty old tennis shoes I use for hiking, my trusty old hat - and glory be! It's only 65 degrees as I leave the house. YES!!! I'm actually wearing jeans!! (of course, half way through the hike I'm thinking shorts would have been a better choice....)

Jump in my trusty old car, roll down the windows, turn up the music, and head to my trail. Get to the park - nuts! Everyone else thinks it's a great day to hit the trails too. There will be several people on MY trail. Pick the route I want to take and head out. Yup, people, and many mountain bikes. Hmmmm.... OK, turn this around Lynette - you are appreciating everything. So, I smiled and wished a good morning to everyone I crossed paths with. And you know what? They all smiled and wished me a good morning too. I gave encouraging words to one bike rider who was really struggling to get up one of the steeper parts of the trail. She laughed, said thank you, and seemed to brighten up. 

When I stopped at one of my favorite spots to sit and meditate, I was annoyed when I heard voices coming up the trail. Nuts, I wanted the quiet, and noisy hikers are coming by. Can't they hear how loud they are being? Sheesh. As I'm sitting there thinking that with all the people and activity, I'm not seeing the wildlife I normally see, I turn around to the voices...and I get the best surprise! The "hikers" were on horseback, and I got to meet some absolutely beautiful creatures! They paused so I could take photos and meet each horse, give them treats and get nuzzled. How awesome was that??!! OK, so maybe it's not a bad thing to have people on my trail...

I spent the rest of my time on the trail truly in appreciation for everyone and everything. 

When I got home, I got a glass of ice water. Wait - did I appreciate what I just did? There is clean water for me to drink whenever I want it, and there is a freezer where I can have ice whenever I want it. How often do I appreciate that?

I go to take a shower to change from a hot sweaty mess into a presentable human. Again - I can have a hot shower whenever I want AND change into clean clothes.

Then I start making my list of other things I need to get done, like laundry and grocery shopping (to replenish the earlier mentioned empty fridge). Kinda start to grumble about that - wait...

I have a grocery store walking distance from my front door that is full of thousands of choices of food and household items I use. Do I really appreciate what that means?

I have a washer and dryer in my apartment. I can do laundry whenever I want. Do I really appreciate what that means?

Hmmmmm.....this appreciation thing is starting to get out of hand.....

People who know me know that I really have very little in the way of possessions. Had a hard lesson early last year where I learned that stuff really is just stuff. But apparently I'm still learning the lesson of how to truly appreciate my life, the people in it, and my experiences. The value of the God given talents that I either downplay or don't recognize. Isn't that part of appreciation too??

Let the ass-kicking begin. None of the conditions of my life have changed, but the way I think about them is changing. There is so much to appreciate, I don't know how I have the time to find the things that I waste so much energy being unhappy about. Sheesh. 

"Things are only as important as I want them to be....."  

Choose what's important....

Choose what to focus on....

Choose to appreciate...

Have a great day....and here are some photos from my appreciation hike:

Turn and face the strange ch-ch-ch-changes.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPPSu0vaNWA

Thank you Mr. Bowie....

So if you follow my Instagram account (arizona_lynette) you know I mostly post photos of my desert and my desert animal friends (used to be the ocean when I was laguna_lynette), and lots of sunrises, sunsets....and lots of clouds. 

Last night I was driving home, see an inspiring sunset forming, and practically run off the road (why am I always driving when I need to take a picture??), so I decide that it would be a good idea to pull over and THEN take a picture. Duh. Got the shot I wanted (well, actually took about 20), then got back on the road. I'm sure the drivers around me appreciated my getting out of their way this time....

Then as I get back to my apartment, I can see the sunset shifting again - and changing completely. I race to park my car, run to my apartment, throw my stuff on the couch, grab my actual camera, and DAMN!!! the batteries are dead!!! AAAHHH!!!! How did I let that happen???  So, back to my trusty phone, and out the door I go. Went to the end of my building to the dog park (yes, they let me in even though I only have a cat) and the view, once again, was spectacular. And it kept changing. I think I was out there about 15 minutes, and probably took about 100 photos BECAUSE IT KEPT CHANGING.

Got me to thinking about how quickly things can change. And that things are changing all around us all the time. And we go kicking and screaming and dragging our feet into the future. Why?? What occurred to me then is that life is nothing but a series of changes. So why do we make such a big fuss? Why do we expect things to stay the same and then get upset when they don't? Fascinating thought.

I also thought about how when I fall into pity party mode, it's because things aren't going the way I wanted or expected. Duh. Welcome to life. Some changes we have control over, and some we don't. Changes are going to happen.

I've chosen to make some big changes in my life. Basically took a sledge hammer to my comfort zone a couple years ago and stepped out into the unknown. I don't necessarily recommend that others do it the way I did, however I do recommend becoming more comfortable with change. Focus on the changes you do want to make, and see what can happen.  

I recently had a conversation with someone who is working through some issues, and I asked him "what would make you want to jump out of bed in the morning to start your day?" He said he didn't know.  

Hmmmm....so then I asked myself the same question, and was surprised by the answer that came. It wasn't "the perfect job" or "my purpose" or any of the things I used to think. Instead I got: What if I were excited just because I had another day to see and experience everything around me? We are here such a short time - what if I could just focus on having fun no matter what I was doing? Wow. That is not the answer I was expecting from myself.

Since that conversation, I have been doing my best to just enjoy my life and experience as much as I can. Am I always successful? Oh, hell no. But I'm doing it more and more, and I have to say, I do get out of bed faster, looking forward to my day a lot more often. 

The point of all this rambling? Who knows...I'm just enjoying writing it....

Here are some of my favorites from last night:

Have a great day, enjoy the changes, and be excited for another day whatever it may bring ....you might just see a spectacular sunset!

Incredible??

Recently I was given the gift of the word "Incredible." It was given in the context of a group exercise, and it was to represent me. I was a little taken aback and kind of dismissed it at first. I have made some big changes in the way I live my life, but I was not convinced that the word really applied. 

Along with the word came an assignment - research the definition and true meaning and then share it with the others:

Word Root of incredible:
The Latin word credere, meaning “to believe,” gives us the root cred. Words from the Latin credere have something to do with believing someone or something. Something credible is easy to believe, while something incredible is so out of the ordinary that it is difficult to believe. Giving credit to something someone says is believing that it is true.

Definition of incredible
1: too improbable to be believed

Synonyms:
fantastic, implausible, inconceivable, incredulous, unbelievable, inconceivable, unconvincing, unimaginable, unthinkable

After finding out the true meaning of the word, I had to rethink how it applied to me. Light bulbs went on as I looked at some of the things I have done over the past couple of years that, yes, even I don't believe I have done them. If someone told me three years ago that I would be living where I am now, doing what I am doing, I would have told them they were insane.

Has the path to my new life been easy? Bwahahaha! No. Goes something like this:

I'm going to make big changes! Yay!
Shit, making changes is hard, I think I'll make some little ones.
Little ones added up make big ones, right?
Moving along my path - Yay!
Crap, which way do I go now? Left? Right? Straight? Go back? I think I'll take a nap.
Ok, back on track.....
What's that over there? Crap, I'm in the rocks and weeds.
Think I'll invite myself to a massive pity party.
Wait - this isn't any fun either. Damn, guess I'll pull myself out of it again.
Yay! Moving right along and loving it!!!
Squirrel!!! What's that over there? Shit - I'm doing it again!
Re-routing.....
Loving it, challenging but loving it, challenging but feeling challenged, challenging and hating it....hating it, but seeing light at the end of the tunnel..
Woohoo! Out of the tunnel! Love this! 
Keep moving forward!
Ouch! Where did that big rock in the middle of my path come from??
Maybe I need a different path. 
Eeewww - this one is worse. OK, back up and start over.
Fun! This is fun!
OK, not so much fun....
Refill the tanks, hit the gas
Yay! Back to fun!

And it just keeps going......fortunately while there have been MANY lessons, they are just that, lessons. We are all doing a similar dance, and we all need to just hang in there, find the lesson, find something to laugh about, and move on.

My new goal is not just to share my word, but to help others recognize my word in themselves.

ALL of us are doing incredible things, and we need to recognize them instead of discounting them. 

Incredible = Unbelievable 

This month I am focusing on my beliefs - which ones serve me, and which ones I need to change / let go of / replace. It is a fascinating process as the old, crappy beliefs start bubbling up to the surface to challenge me. "But we are old friends! I'm a belief you've had for years! Surely you don't want to get rid of me??"  Yes, yes I do, and I'm ready to replace you with something new.
  
Question: Which beliefs do we need to change to create our truly incredible lives?

Let's get started! Nice wide trail, beautiful day...

SQUIRREL!!

Crap! Where did all the rocks come from??

Whew, smoother trail with a little shade...

Don't mind me - just a squirrel relaxing on a branch....

Great! Another smooth trail! Wait, are those rain clouds??

Have a fantastic, fun, incredible day!