January 2010

Yesterday morning, in relatively warm Florida, as I was writing my “Morning Pages” – (Julia Cameron, THE ARTIST’S WAY) – I looked out onto my patio and noticed almost complete fog on the upper windows above the sliding ones that comprise my outside “wall.” And then I saw the one bright opening.

Given it was the first night of my Through and From the Lens Point and Shoot Photo Course, where we will be spending four weeks taking photos of whatever catches our eye, I naturally went for my camera when I finished writing.

Today’s Photos

patio fog

Close-up of the open space, where moisture had cleared.

fogged patio window with opening

Broader view of above.

fogged windows

From a different point of view the opening was not quite as bright.

The very top, “header” photo was a closer-up of the above photo.
I included it here because I like the “mystical” feel of it.

Self-Reflecting Queries –
Are there places in your life where things appear misty, fogged up?

If so, will you look to find the bright spot(s)? How will you recognize them?

What happens when you shift your perspective? Does evening out, leveling the density, create a different feeling? If so, how does this empower you?

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Before introducing today’s photos, I want to put out a reminder for those of you whom might be looking for a creativity boost, in an “eye-opening” way, you can experience this in the upcoming Point and Shoot Photo Course. The official start date was moved to this upcoming Tuesday, January 26th.

Our pre-class revealed an exciting, excited group of participants. The call was on How to Use Flickr for communicating and sharing photographs. It was recorded and will be made available for participants. There is still time to join us. See COURSE for information and your subscriber’s savings.

Today’s Photos

azalea at the Morikami Gardens

Today’s photos are from a recent walk through the Morikami Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida, with visiting friends from New Jersey. I had several choices for photos to select for today. Then concern set in on the photo I originally thought I might use. I decided some might find it “disturbing.” I will include a separate link below for the latter.

Because my friend loves azaleas, my attention was brought to one above on our walk through Morikami Gardens

Posts and ferns in Morikami Gardens

Most appealing to me was this close-up of ferns and the posts from a dam-like “wall”. (See broader view.) For some unidentified reason, I get a peaceful feeling from the above picture, a sense of “aliveness’, perhaps from the bright lights and contrast.

The most dramatic photograph from the outing was a yellow (golden) iguana – beautiful colors and patterns. This is the one I hesitated to feature here in Picture to Ponder.

Firstly, some of you could possibly find it repulsive-looking, despite what I see; and, secondly, in South Florida iguanas are becoming a serious nuisance, invading residential areas, eating prized plants and more. So “honoring” it might be offensive to some. You can see the photo by clicking on iguana.

Self-Reflecting Queries –
My “story” today is a demonstration of how we often allow our actions to be governed by our expectations of what others may think and feel. And, it’s not always even the reality of the situation.

I invite you to look into your own life.

Are there places now where you are stifling your own thoughts and feelings because you don’t think they will be accepted by others?

If so, do you take the time, sometimes the courage, to actually check in with the ones upon whose presumed thoughts you are taking, or not, action?

As you ponder these queries, I invite you also to look to see, “Can you identify some areas in your life where you do allow yourself to be truly open/authentic and others where your don’t?”

What would it take to be totally free and open? Is that even something you want for yourself? from others?

Last Call
Although none of the above was meant to lead into one last reminder of the upcoming Through and from the Lens Point and Shoot Photo Course, 4 weeks, starting Tuesday evening, January 26th at 8:30 PM, I would be remiss in not making one more mention here.

The course does provide a fun, experiential platform where, with your camera, you can start more freely, playfully, identifying the most meaningful areas of your life.

For specifics and registration see Through and From the Lens Course.


More Upcoming Important Events in which I am participating. You can too.

1 – My friend, amazing Adela Rubio is continuing her teleclass series: Conscious Business Summit: Mastering the Inner Game a global network of Conscious Business Experts(TM) ready to power up your potential in just 11 days.

Adela states: “Launch a Powerful and Profitable 2010 by Mastering Your Inner Game. Tap Into Your Creative Genius and Unleash Your Built In Greatness to Create an Abundant, Authentic and Conscious Business powered by YOU. . .”

These calls are F*ree, with a 24-hour window to listen in if you can’t make the live call. Check out Mastering the Inner Game.

Adela is one of the best interviewers I encountered and TOTALLY authentic and open, inspiring her guests to be the same.

2 – Ordered at Amazon, and already delivered, Allison Maslan’s book – Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams Into Reality is waiting for me to dive into it . There are several bonuses, still available for anyone who orders the book by January 31st. See Blast Off!

I am offering a wonderful REFLECTIONS bonus for this launch, including 30 Reflections Photos in a PDF slide show, plus a separate PDF with thumbnails and Queries for writing prompts. By agreement, you will be given permission to use any of the photos for you web activities. Again, see Blast Off!

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Today’s post will be, of necessity, a demonstration of “less is more” – fewer words than usual on my part. So many of them around the “right” words have been running around my head that I allowed myself to stay stalled. I’ve been wanting to ensure that you understand what’s available for you in my upcoming Through and From the Lens Course, starting this Tuesday, January 19th.

It offers new insights, artistry and breakthroughs through the discipline and guidance of photography. There is an affiliate program through which those of you in business can promote this course. See Affiliate for more information.

Today’s Photo represents another story or set of stories that have been running

red onion #7 - first cuts

around in my head. I purchased two new, beautiful red onions last week to continue my RED ONION STORY (email me if you wish the link for the first – “onion story” in the subject) and I’ve been creating stories, in my head, around the new ones all week, continuing to observe analogies in my life.

Today, in addition to passive observing I declared the bold action of taking the first cut and then more.

My photo/seeing course offers an easy, enjoyable way of taking first, fun cuts in your own life using a digital camera.

Without any more story around today’s photo, I’m inviting you to be with it, without prompts on my part.

Later, I will share some of my observations here on my blog. Check there tomorrow. Even before I add comments though, I invite you to share your experience in the comments section under this post.

Self-Reflecting Queries
Where in your life might there be places you are allowing yourself to be pinned down by stories you’re telling yourself or by waiting to say the “perfect” thing?

If you see something I invite you to take action NOW.

And, please do yourself a favor. Check out the Through and from the Lens Point and Shoot Photo Course,
4 weeks, starting Tuesday evening, January 19th, or Wednesday morning, January 20th.

In this course you will be opening and expanding communication as you start seeing things you’ve never before noticed in your own world; get to make and share your own unique discoveries; learn to use your digital camera so it becomes your best friend, producing photos you’re proud to share.

For specifics and registration see Through and From the Lens Course.-


More Upcoming Important Events in which I am participating. You can too. –

1 – My friend, amazing Adela Rubio has just started a week of Conscious Business Summit: Mastering the Inner Game a global network of Conscious Business Experts(TM) ready to power up your potential in just 11 days.

Adela states: “Have You Put Off Your Dream to Start a Business Because There’s Always Something That Seems To Get In The Way . . .

Guess What? Chances Are That Something is You!

For specifics and registration see Through and From the Lens Course.

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Today’s issue of PICTURE TO PONDER is about making assumptions – being told something, assuming we know what the person is saying, thus not requesting any further information.

Last month, in one of the issues of Picture to Ponder, I described a walk in Wakodahatchee Wetlands and included photographs of dewdrops on the boardwalk railing plus wood knots on path. When I showed a passerby the bird in the photo below, she acknowledged

Wood knot with the neck of a bird extended

it, pointed out another and then proceeded to tell me that there is a “lion” on the boardwalk in a section of Green Cay Wetlands. She assured me that it is quite obvious and gave me an idea of the approximate location. Though I’d walked at Green Cay countless times, I had never seen it.

About a week later, I finally got to go looking for the “lion” in Green Cay. I went in the direction I had been told and as I started getting frustrated with not finding it, I realized I had never questioned/asked for any other guidelines or parameters other than location. “It can’t be missed,” she said. So I ASSUMED, “lion equals LARGE” and went looking for a wood knot that spanned several boards, a “large lion”.

After walking beyond the point were I assumed it was, from the directions I had been given, I gave myself the choice – “Give up and go back (it was cold and I was jacketless) or start paying attention to other knots that might be catch your eye.

I chose the latter, thus Today’s Photos

wood knot Viking image

The first wood knot to catch my eye is in the photo above. Once it caught my eye and I stopped, I saw the profile of a Viking-type image (orange face, full-furry collar and large white mitten on this right hand). Looking at it later, the “face” looks more like an animal face.

wood knot with a face, not lion in Green Cay Wetlands

Then I was stopped by the scrunched up face I saw, above – around the eyes, no mouth – arrows point to the “face”. Then I observed a different face when I looked at it from the side. Rather than relying on digital transformation, I moved my body to photograph it from a different perspective as shown below.

I continued on, found a “dragonfly” in another wood plank knot and today, going through my photos, noticed an ET figure, which brought a smile to my face.

ET in a wood knot

I hope it, or whatever you see in the knot above, has you smile also.

The bottom line to the walk story is that I continued on to the exit, not having found the lion, but quite satisfied, after all, with my “finds.”

When someone stopped me with the comment that I must be cold without a jacket, I told her that my involvement with the wood knots had kept me focused and warm. I then told her and her family my lion story and proceeded to share the wood knot photos I had taken.

As I was clicking through the photos, I suddenly heard, excitedly, “There it is!!!” I paused to look and, after a few seconds, I, too, saw the “Lion”, reminding me of the “Cowardly Lion” in “The Wizard of Oz.” (shown in the two photos above “ET”)

Self-Reflecting Queries
I started today’s issue of Picture to Ponder writing about operating out of our immediate assumptions, never pausing the check them out. On a different level this has been a “Queries” theme in many past issues of Picture to Ponder. Mostly, they’ve been similar to:

“Where in your life have you assumed a particular meaning to what someone spoke, based all your future interactions around that, never having bothered to check it out?” I invite you to once again look at that question.

Also, based on my “story” today, I invite you to see if there are, or have been, directions in your life you are taking, or have, taken where you assumed you completely understood them when spoken, and never asked for further expansion or clarification.

If so, has it always worked for you? Can you see any kind of pattern? If not, are there simple measures you can put in place for yourself to remind you of questions you might want to ask?

Perhaps it is as simple as remembering this “lion” story.

And, as always, I’d love for you to post your comments on the blog. Did you immediately see the lion? What other images did you see in any of the photos?

Lastly, if you’ve been enjoying my “playing” with images, I invite you to join us in the upcoming

Through and from the Lens Point and Shoot Photo Course, 4 weeks, starting Tuesday evening, January 19th, or Wednesday morning, January 20th.

In this course you will be opening and expanding communication as you start seeing things you’ve never before noticed in your own world; get to make and share your own unique discoveries; learn to use your digital camera so it becomes your best friend, producing photos you’re proud to share.

For more information see Through and From the Lens Course.

More on Assumptions -Synchrnonistically, my friend Adela Rubio yesterday wrote about assumptions and giving steps to check them out on her blog – See Shift Your Assumptions.

AND, a GREAT way to start the day, for 20 more days, is Adela’s morning Conscious Energy Shifts Energizing call… fr*e*e to participate in or listen to for 24 hours before the next is posted.


Three More Upcoming Important Events in which I am participating

1 – For those of you looking to start, expand and/or understand your blog better, I am reviewing Bea Fields 12-week Become a Blogging Maniac Course and highly recommend it for the completeness of both presentation and content.

2 – I am anxiously awaiting January 19th for the launch of my new friend Allison Maslan’s book – Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams Into Reality.  Her contest has been extended to Jan 10. Grand Prize: 1-on-1 Life & Business Coaching Program worth $5,000! See Blast Off!

I am offering a REFLECTIONS bonus for this launch, including 30 Reflections Photos in a PDF slide show, plus a separate PDF with thumbnails and Queries for writing prompts.

To get a sense of what Allison offers you can read her thought-provoking, tip-filled article, Turn Your Passion into Prosperity. See Allison Article.

3 – Lastly for the Passionate Coaches, Healers, Consultants, Authors, and Service Professionals among you, on Monday, night January 12th, Suzanne Evans is offering a chock full of information call on “How I Stopped Traditional Salesy Marketing and Made Over Half a Million Dollars: Make 2010 Your Year to Stop Selling and Start Sharing”.

I have gotten value from both of her calls that I was on and have excitedly committed to attend her 3-day live BE THE CHANGE EVENT in Fort Lauderdale, FL in February. It’s not often that live courses are available for me in practically in my “backyard”.

Listen in on Monday night, January 12th, at no cost, as Suzanne shares her big “ah-ha” that took her from struggling to 6 figures. See Suzanne Evans Call.


Reader’s Comments are welcome.
To post them here blog,  click on the small word “Comment” at the end of the post. A window will open, asking for your name, email address that will NOT be published, a URL if you have – Your name will be linked to that – and a box with space for you to “Leave a Reply” will be there to type in your response. Then remember to click on “Submit.”

IMPORTANT: If today’s photos inspire writing or anything else that has you share it and the photos, please be certain to credit the source, including the URL of this issue, http://www.eteletours.com/v6-issue1.html

DISCLOSURE:From time to time, in Picture to Ponder, I include information on products and programs for which I may derive a small commission. This is what helps defray my publishing costs. I will only promote products and services of people with whom I’m familiar and in whose programs I’ve participated.

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