Possibilities – Openings Inspired by Autumn Leaves – Picture to Ponder – v5-36

by Sheila Finkelstein on September 29, 2009

Last week when a friend of mine reminded me that Autumn has started, I was thrown back into remembering my first autumn in Florida, six years ago. My body actually had the sensory experience of “missing autumn.” In a Photoshop Elements course at the time, where the assignment was to create a photo collage, I decided to create “Missing Autumn in NJ” to somehow bring Fall to me.

Interestingly, last week, once I expressed this and found the web page on Google, I came upon the opportunity of doing Jan Phillips Facilitators Training Workshop in the Adirondacks, New York State, where Autumn leaves should now be in abundance.

It promises to be exciting all around. What would make it even more so is connecting with any Picture to Ponder subscribers who might be in the Syracuse area. I will be spending Monday there. Please email me if you are in that area of if you know something I MUST see while there.

TODAY’S PHOTOS –
represent work from several years ago. I’ll find it interesting to see if there are any changes in the photographs I take next weekend, though I suspect consistency will rule.

The top is the photo collage I mentioned above. The other three images are, once again, photo/drawings, as featured in the last issue of Picture to Ponder. In this case they were autumn leaves in New Jersey.

SELF-REFLECTING QUERIES –
When you’ve longed for something, such as when I was “missing autumn” several years ago, what actions do you take? Are you proactive, or do you stay in the “dwelling”?

Similarly when you find yourself in the midst of frustration, what is your response?

And, if your ordinary response is not one that brings you fun, I invite you to find a means to “play” your way through the next time you find yourself in one of the above situations.

Peace and fun. �

{ 2 comments }

Healing Power of Nature and Echinacea – Picture to Ponder – v5-issue 35

by Sheila Finkelstein on September 22, 2009

TODAY’S PHOTOS
are Photo/Drawings of Echinacea Flowers – the first being “field” of them, the other three being different views from the same garden.

“Photo/drawings” is a term I created when I first developed this process using my photographs, new scanner and a pen with permanent ink to draw directly on the photos. They were the content that made up my original nature web site – Nature’s Playground stating,

“We believe that the world is a playground for personal growth and development; that natural environments – gardens, woods, beaches, rivers, streams – are sources for pleasure, creativity, play and self-discovery; that expanding sensory awareness of natural and man-made environments provides access to furthering creative thinking and appreciation.”

In an empowering interview my friend Adela Rubio did with Dean Shrock, last week, on “Why Love Heals”, he stated that “Nature is probably the purest form of love. Simply being out and appreciating natural beauty, we’ll experience love. Nature literally realigns the molecules of your body in a more harmonious manner, so that the body simply works better.” See SelfcareMastery.com for this quote and Adela’s full summary of the call.

For me, I got a dramatic “Aha” – that this can be the strong foundation on which to stand as I move forward with my work. Certainly the healing power of nature is the crux of Banana Sky DVD!

WHY THE ECHINACEA –
Interestingly, today in my writing group** one of the quotes from which we wrote was “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it is your world for the moment, ” Georgia O’Keefe.

Responding to this prompt, Susan Jones, group member, wrote: “Flowers have one of the highest natural vibrations. That’s why flower essences are so powerful, so healing. Georgia O’Keefe painted the effect of that vibration on her. An artist does not copy, she shares the soul of the moment. ”

This seemed like such a synchronistic statement for my newfound “stand” that I asked Susan if I could quote her.

In searching for flowers to feature, I decided that the ones I would use here today would be flowers that most of us are likely to know as “healing” flowers. I, at least, always use “echinacea” in capsules or tea form when I feel a cold coming on. In addition, the center echinacea photo/drawing featured here was very much admired by a dinner guest this past weekend. A large poster-size format of it hangs on my patio.

(**Note: Susan and three others of us all first connected in one of Julie Jordan Scott’s writing programs. For those open to it, Julie has a Writing Group starting tomorrow – Wednesday, September 23.

SELF-REFLECTING QUERIES –
For today, I invite you to look at the variations of the same subject, the Echinacea above, and make note of what stands out as differences for you. Then expand this observation into your own life.

Is there an issue, a challenge, or something which you really appreciate, where you might find empowering analogous differences by taking different points of view?

And, in a slightly different conversation, relating to my finding a position of strength I can claim for moving forward in my work, are you clear on the ground on which you are standing in your work? and then in your relationships – both personal and business?

Peace and fun.

{ 3 comments }

Refreshing, Cleansing Sunlit Morning Dew in Green Cay Wetlands – Picture to Ponder – vol. 5-Issue 34

by Sheila Finkelstein on September 15, 2009

Today’s Photo –
Sunlit Morning Dew on a Metal Boardwalk Railing at Green Cay Wetlands in Boynton Beach, FL

This photograph was first featured in Picture to Ponder almost two years ago in Volume 3- Issue 59 where you can see four more photos taken at the same time. All five grabbed my attention as I was organizing past issues of Picture to Ponder and this particular photo is the one most strongly resonating with me right now.

SELF-REFLECTING QUERIES –
I am not sure what it is about today’s photo that is “speaking” to me. Perhaps it’s the feeling of peacefulness and cleansing that emanates from it, the sense of something being washed clean.

There is dark and light, yet not a “moody” darkness. I do remember the feeling of excitement I had two years ago when I first took these photos, the thrill of discovering what seemed almost “magical” to me at the time.

Today I can look at this photo and the others and appreciate the timelessness of the experience and the beauty that remains.

I invite you to look into your life now and in the past. What are some of the magical moments that you recall? What are the sensory experiences that are most profound for you?

Are there ways that you have kept them alive – in photographs, writing, recordings or other art forms? Is this important to you?

Lastly, do you remain cognizant of what you need in your life to keep you centered and balanced?

If, for some reason, my queries seem to be getting “heavy and significant”, I invite you to  go back up to the photo and allow the morning dew to refresh you.

Peace.

Program for Writers, or Wanting-to-Be Writers –
Tomorrow, Wednesday, 9/16 is the kick off day and the first of twelve sessions of my friend and mentor, Julie Jordan Scott’s “Feminine Pen Writing Circle.”

If you are a writer or an aspiring one I urge you to check our the above link. I doubt that I would be doing what I am today, if it weren’t for all that I’ve experienced in courses with Julie and the community of wonderful women and writers that come together in her empowering space.�

{ 3 comments }

Discovering Transformation – Sound and Art in Dried Onion Remains – Picture to Ponder – v5-Issue 33

by Sheila Finkelstein on September 10, 2009

INTRODUCTION –
As I was about to finally discard the dried up remains of red onion green sprouts featured here in July, I became captivated with the papery thin texture, the flexibility and the sounds of the pieces. I dearly wanted to convey these to you and could not determine how.

The following day I realized I might be able to capture some of the experience on video. I thus set up a series of videos. In the last one I start peeling a red onion I’ve been holding, also since July, for Onion Photo Story Number five. Once again, there are analogies to our lives.

Next I posted a couple of photos and one of the videos on my last blog  post – Parchment Sounds of Onion Greens Inspire Video. The first photo in the blog posting is the group of dried greens, a few of which became the art for this issue of Picture to Ponder.

To make it more convenient for you, and me, I later put all the videos from the “shoot” earlier this week on one ONION – GARLIC VIDEO page. One of the videos shows dried, cut garlic pieces slipping out of their “cells.”

Lastly, speaking of videos – In a totally different conversation, I had fun this same week videoing me opening a package of products I received from my Nature Art Gift shop You can see me excitely showing the products I had purchased – two tile boxes I love, plus tiles and note cards.

I also distinguish between my photo/drawing art and straight photography, showing examples of each. Even if you don’t watch the whole Nature Art Gifts video, I invite you to use the slider to see each of the products.

TODAY’S PHOTOS –
As I was doing the videos of the onion remnants I also took many still photographs. The top two featured photos today are of some of the remnant dried up green sprouts. In the middle photo, the black “dust” is remnants of mold that had formed inside some of the stems.

The latter are the “facts” AND I have selected these photos today for their artistic appeal. Although not planned, or arranged as such, these two photographs exude the beauty and simplicity of calligraphic drawings. Each can stand alone on its own merit.

I invite you to spend a moment or two with each and breathe in their simplicity.

The bottom photo is the underside of several layers of the cut, dried top of the onion. Again, I’m sharing it here for its aesthetic value, as well as its totally different feeling from the first two.

SELF-REFLECTING QUERIES –
For those looking for self-reflecting queries, today’s photographs and stories cover a broad range of topics.

I could pull queries out from reflections on saving old things… clutter?… transformations from one stage to another… life… death… discovery… how we each, individually, explore the latter, fulfill on it.

And, for today, I am leaving the self-reflecting queries to you. If any of the categories mentioned above spark something in you, I invite you to reflect on what’s coming up. If you’ve had a “gut” response to any of the photos, or the videos, I then invite you to reflect on what you were experiencing.

Lastly, there is ALWAYS being in the moment and simply experiencing whatever is there.

Thank you for being in my life and allowing me to share these explorations with you.

As always, remember to have fun with this.

{ 0 comments }

Video inspired by Discovery of Parchment Sounds of Dried Onion Greens

by Sheila Finkelstein on September 7, 2009

About to finally discard the red onion greens photographed and written about here, “Looking at the Old Newly” as Inspired by a Red Onion (on July 2nd), I became attuned to the papery, parchment feel and sound. I dearly wanted to share it with you and I knew a simple photograph could not convey the experience. It then occurred to me that I could see what a video would do.

Of course, once I started with my Flip Mino video recorder, I finally began the process of discovery with Red Onion #5. The latter has been patiently waiting since June for attention, beyond the first photograph.
 

In the above video, you’ll note also that a drying garlic bulb, cut in July, is also ready to be discarded. Here, too, I am fascinated by the sounds, as well as the rock hard garlic cloves that now easily slip out of their cells.

I conclude the video with the start of peeling Red Onion #5. I’ve uploaded five separate videos of Day 1 of this new “story.” You can see all the uploads of my videos by going to InspirationalSheila. If this doesn’t show you a full list, click on SEE ALL underneath the bottom icon on the right. 
 
If you wish to view them all, no one longer than two minutes, start with Red Onion #5 – First peeling and Cut. 
 
The thread that you will find starting to develop is that as we clean whatever “gook” we think is in our lives there is a fresh and shiny interior. Let’s keep this in mind at all times.
 
If you are not familiar with it, you can get the RED ONION STORY #1 as a PDF download describing the peeling away process of both an onion and ourselves. 

{ 1 comment }

Being in the Present – Rainbows, Ocean Sunset and Sunrise – Picture to Ponder v5-issue 32

by Sheila Finkelstein on September 1, 2009

On Saturday afternoon we had one of our typical Florida afternoon heavy thunder and lightning rainstorms. Toward the end, when I looked out and noticed the sudden brilliant sunlight, I had the immediate thought that there might be a beautiful rainbow. Looking out my front door I saw that I was right.

I grabbed my camera, and since it was still drizzling, a plastic bag to cover it, and a large umbrella; then took a couple of pictures from underneath the latter, one of which I’ve posted on FlickR. I then pulled my car out of the garage, jumped in and started singing, “I’m forever chasing rainbows,” as I went on a search for some even “better” shots.

I ultimately ended up at the beach, too late for the rainbow there but did see a beautiful sunset. I was reminded that it had also been quite a while since I had experienced sunrise on the beach. With all these “signs” I did go back on Sunday morning. Today’s featured photographs are from that outing.

TODAY’S PHOTOS –
The top photo is a reflection of clouds and sky in the sunglasses hanging on a man’s shirt. It caught my attention as he and his family were walking toward me.

The center photo was taken five minutes before the actual rise of the sun over the horizon, camouflaged by the clouds. Note the richness of the pinks and yellows emanating upward from the sun that had not yet “risen.”

The bottom photograph was taken sixteen minutes after the “official” sunrise. Here we can almost see the sun behind the clouds. I love the reach of the bronze reflections on the surf at the edge of the beach (lower right).

For those who are left wanting to more fully experience the gentle waves lapping against the shore, I uploaded a short video onto YouTube. This was taken a couple of minutes after sunrise. Having come from New Jersey where waves were usually high, it always amazed me when I visited Florida in the summer, years ago, to see how calm and almost waveless the ocean was. Living down here now I’ve learned that this is somewhat seasonal and, of course, bad weather and heavy winds make a difference.

(For those who might be wondering, the sunrise times were found on my favorite sunrise/sunset – moonrise/moonset calendar at SunriseSunset.com)

SELF-REFLECTING QUERIES –
Today’s photographs and stories reflect, in part, “chasing” “something more,” from rainbows to sunrises. With the rainbow, I was looking for a “perfect” unobstructed view of the full rainbow, which I would have had at the ocean.

Only, I was afraid that it would not be there by the time I reached the beach, so I stopped along the way and photographed pieces of it, obscured by wires and other distracting components. In fact, according to other walkers, had I gone straight to be beach, I would have seen what I wanted.

I did spend some time enjoying the sunset and, as I wrote above, decided to go for the sunrise the next day. The sky was beautiful when I got there, about ten minutes before the full rising of the sun. Once there I realized that I “undoubtedly” “missed” the most beautiful part, that visible when the sky was still almost dark.

I am relating all of this mind “chatter”, not because any of it’s “true”; rather, these thoughts are examples of what most of us do to ourselves during large portions of our time – the “would have”, “could have”, “should haves.”

Once open to the flip side, on Saturday night, for me, was the conversation with a woman walking along the water’s edge who shared her experiences of earlier in the evening and then those of the sunrises she usually saw. It was this that had me set my alarm on Sunday.

Then there was the fun and excitement of the discovery of the reflections in the sunglasses and the conversation with the man and his family and their pleasures in that imagery.

Lastly, the rainbow experience wound up having an impact on my selection of a quote prompt in my writing group, winding up as a Writing for Healing blog post – “Rainbow Soul and Tears – Storms in Life.”

We have choices, always… to be in the moment, fully appreciating what’s there, or looking ahead or behind.

I invite you to spend some time in the next day or so, perhaps beyond. Are there places and situations where routinely you are looking far ahead or in the past, missing what’s in the present? If so, perhaps specific intention is missing. Do you always know what it is you are looking for?

Can you set an intention to experience beauty in the moment, declaring whatever is, as beautiful or purposeful?

As always, remember to have fun with this.

{ 2 comments }

Standing Alone in a Crowd – Find the Strength: Pansies in Picture to Ponder – v5-issue 31

by Sheila Finkelstein on August 26, 2009

Click on Above Image for Information and Testimonials

Excited with the re-launching of BANANA SKY DVD, I’ve been spending a lot of time on creating the “just right” web page for Banana Sky DVD to share the stress and anxiety relief benefits from the healing music and photography that makes up this video. As I’ve been working, I have been getting a lot of great feedback and support from the ELITE FORUM members in Lynn Self-Starters Weekly Tips Forum. I am deeply appreciative.

I am also on my own DAY 8 of a minimum of one-hour of work each day before opening any email, as recommended by Kathleen Gage in the recent Niche Affiliate Marketing System Seminar I attended. This was/is, for me, one of the both challenging and rewarding tips I got out of the weekend. A flash drive with all of the presentations, including Kathleen’s from this conference, plus one earlier in the year, is available on a Flash Drive (coupon code 200aug14) for only $97 as long as the limited number of available copies last.

With my focus being so directed on the best way of sharing BANANA SKY DVD, I have not been out doing much photographing. It was therefore delightful yesterday to simply travel through folders on my computer for this issue of Picture to Ponder, doing a sit-down “discovery walk.”

Today’s photos brought a smile and a feeling of lightness and simple pleasure when I found them.

TODAY’S PHOTOS –
Pansies in the Dallas (Texas) Arboretum at the end of February.

I love the colors of the two pansies in the top photo and they have such a look of elegance.

The yellow and violet-colored pansies, in the middle photo, seem to be dancing freely and joyfully. The intensity of mid-day sunlight adds to the pleasure of the experience of this photo.

As I went back to the original size when saving the latter photo, I was drawn to the center of one of the flowers and decided to focus in and crop it. Suddenly it took on a stately and commanding presence, as if wanting our attention.

SELF-REFLECTING QUERIES –
In the almost five years that I have been publishing Picture to Ponder, this is the first time I’ve featured pansies. One reason, undoubtedly, is that pansies are not quite as common here in Florida as they seemed to be in the Northeast United States, where most of my life was spent.

As pretty as they are when I paid attention to them, they somehow seemed to get “lost” in their surroundings, no one flower really standing out from another. Did the fact that they were so “common” have an impact also, or is it simply that I’ve only gotten much more active with my camera in recent years?

The point to my above comments leads into today’s Self-Reflecting Queries. Once again, I invite you to look into your life.

Are there places where there are people, or objects, that are simply a part of a broad field for you and indistinct for their own attributes? Where you’ve simply been taking them for granted as background “noise”, perhaps?

If you find any of the above fits, I invite you to step more closely into the field at which you were looking. Study the individual components. Then, is there one, or more, that now stands out and has a new presence, as the single yellow pansy in the bottom photo? Or perhaps, you’ll find a pair, as in the top photo.

As always, have fun with this.

As always, remember to have fun with this.

{ 2 comments }

Golden Sunlight Energizes Ocean and Us – Delray Beach – Picture to Ponder – v5-issue 30

by Sheila Finkelstein on August 20, 2009

My head and my body are still overflowing with the energy I experienced this past weekend at the Niche Affiliate Marketing System Seminar. Today’s photos for me are an expression of that energy. I’m choosing to share some it and if you wish to skip over this section, you’re welcome to simply jump to Today’s Photos and Queries.

During the course of three and a half days, there was a never ending stream of ideas that I, and others, can, and did during the weekend, immediately start implementing in our businesses. Beyond that, I met a couple of people who were either themselves photography experts or connected with some other photographers whom I anticipate adding to the mix I make available to you.

I also had the opportunity to interact with people face-to-face whose courses I’ve taken, books I’ve read and much more. A special blessing for me was meeting and sharing a room with Adela Rubio, whom many of you may know from her programs which I’ve shared here.

Adela and I have been “virtual”, Internet friends for over six years and this is the first time we’ve connected in the same physical space. She also gifted me with a wonderful energy session before we left. I’m sure this is adding to my general overall energy, feeling of accomplishment and focus. Thank you, Adela.

Two other extra-special people connections for me were interacting with Lynn Terry, a top Internet Affiliate Marketer who is knowledgable and generous, almost beyond belief. I’ve been participating in her Elite Forum, now accepting new members.

The other of the “extra-special two” connections was spending time with Ellen Britt whose calls I’ve been on and classes I’ve taken. The ultimate caveat for me was her response to her experience of BANANA SKY DVD and her agreeing to do a video testimonial. Awesome!

You can “meet” many of the course leaders and participants in my NAMS 2 Album I put up on FlickR. Several of the other Self-Starters Weekly Tips Elite Forum members also posted photos, if you’d care to see more – NAMS Workshop Pool.

TODAY’S PHOTOS –
Three golden sunrises at Delray Beach on an October morning.

As I was briefly looking through photos yesterday, these three were the ones that jumped out, immediately resonating with me. I’m seeing them as a representation of the energy of the NAMS weekend.

The top photo is the sunlight spreading upward and outward; the middle, coming down on us all; and the bottom photo, the reflected sun on beach, landing strong and solid as the waves come in, skip over it and ride out.

SELF-REFLECTING QUERIES –
I’ve covered a wide gamut here, with a lot of words, and the photos themselves are so beautiful I invite you to scroll back up to spend another moment or two with them.

Allow the energy emanating from them to wash over you. Be open to the experience.

Should you wish to reflect and query, I invite you to ask yourself, “Where is the light and the power within me?” and, perhaps,

“Where, outside of me, do I find the light and energy that warms and sustains me?”

As always, remember to have fun with this.

BANANA SKY DVD LAUNCH

Ellen Britt lauds Banana Sky DVD:

“Everybody’s eyes were riveted on the screen. This is a very, very unusual presentation…amazing. You’ll never get tired of it.

Just looking at pictures of nature can have a calm soothing effect. For anyone who is undergoing any kind of stress/anxiety situations, this would just be a real gift.”

{ 0 comments }

Using Your Camera to Get Out of a Funk – 7 Tips

by Sheila Finkelstein on August 18, 2009

Do you ever feel stuck? Lacking in energy? Even think you might somewhat be in a state of depression? If your answer is “yes” to any of these statements, continue on to read 7 Tips for Using Your Camera to Reconnect with yourself and others.

You will be tapping into your creative self, which is waiting to be your partner. The only requisites are an open mind and a digital camera. A cell phone camera can suffice. The tips:

1 – Take a daily walk – You are constantly told that walking is good exercise and important for your physical health and energy. Walks are also good for your emotional well-being and for creating shifts in your mental and emotional states. Having a camera available aids in this process.

2 – Have your camera with you at all times – The camera is a tool you can use to help you identify what’s important to you in your life, as well as what you value in yourself and others. It’s a way of making connections with people and with yourself, for discovering what gets you excited.

3 – Look outside yourself – Pay attention to your environment wherever you are – on a walk in your home, outside or even in the supermarket. Once we start using our eyes to look around us and see what’s in front of us and on either side, we are expanding our vision.

4– Stop whenever anything catches your eye – Many times, I’m sure, you’ve passed something that you’ve thought “ugly” or “insignificant” and walked right past it. I invite you to make the decision now to pause whenever an image catches your eye. There might be a reason, so stop and look again.

5 – Make it a Practice – Photograph Everything that Catches your attention – Once you’ve stopped and made that decision, ready your camera and “snap” the photograph. Move closer, take another picture, then back and one more. Before leaving that spot, look around you and see if there is anything else that wants to be photographed.

6 – Continue your walk – In the process of photographing you might have observed that it was the color that attracted you, perhaps the shape or a texture. As you walk, look for others of those elements and once again repeat the photographing process.

7 – View your downloaded photos with new eyes – When you are back from your walk and have downloaded the photos to your computer, once again practice stopping at whatever images catch your eye this time as you run them through with whatever download program you use. You might be surprised to discover things that you did not even notice before.

Following these steps are guaranteed to move you out of any “funk” you might be in. Using your camera in this way to to open yourself up to seeing new things will also expand into other areas of your life, work and relationships.

For learning more on how observations with your camera can open you up to new ways of seeing and learning more about yourself, continue with the Red Onion Story #1 – Peeling Away the Layers of an Onion, Analogous to Peeling away the layers of Ourselves. You can also experience creating your own transformational shifts in one of the Expanding Your Vision Through and From the Lens telecourses.

© Sheila Finkelstein All rights reserved. These tips are offered by Sheila Finkelstein, Artist, Photographer, Writer, Coach.

{ 1 comment }

Respite and Relaxation from a Banana Plant and DVD – Picture to Ponder – v5 – Issue 29

by Sheila Finkelstein on August 11, 2009

I laughed when today’s top photograph opened up. It was a spontaneous response to the humor I saw in the little “critters”. Perhaps they are applauding, or nodding congratulations to me and healing music composer and flutist, piano player, Jeannie Fitzsimmons.

Today marks the re-launch of our BANANA SKY DVD. I am hugely excited with the completion of this project that actually started three years ago, by accident, out of my passion for discovery, when I began observing, in my head and with the camera, the amazing growth of a single banana tree which has multiplied many times.

I will go into more details of the “story”, the journey after today’s SRQ’s. One of the things that most excites me right now with the publication is the design work I did for the packaging. This was a first for me and I feel like a kid in a candy store.

The photographs featured today are actually a partial embodiment of the experience of Banana Sky DVD.

TODAY’S PHOTOS –
The first photograph are the bottom ends of a bunch of growing bananas on the tree. By the time you and I get the ripened, or almost ripened, bananas we purchase, these happy “critters” have shriveled and dried up.

Though I continue to refer to it as a tree, the banana plant, I discovered, is actually an herb.

I especially love the middle image, photographed after a rainstorm. It is one of the “petals” of the banana pod holding a pool of rain water. When ready, the petals gradually unfurl one-by-one, to reveal a row of infant bananas that each has been protecting.

I so love this photograph that it became the symbol for BANANA SKY DVD and I created it as the cover for the case.

The bottom photograph is a view from underneath the “tree”, as I looked up through the leaves toward the sky. The shadows are reflections of Arica palms behind the banana plant. I’ve kept this particular photo as my desktop background and used it for the disk label. It represents the peace and serenity I got from viewing the photographs.

You can see how the bottom two photos are used in the packaging by clicking on “Rotate Case” on the ORDER page or see a video preview and testimonials on the BANANA SKY DVD OVERVIEW page.

SELF-REFLECTING QUERIES –
BANANA SKY DVD holds many stories. The short one is that it started out with my taking hundreds, then probably thousands, of photographs of a banana tree that was continually amazing me in its growth and the many directions it was taking. I was particularly fascinated with large leaves and the play of lights and shadows on them.

This whole growth and documentation was happening during the time when I was experiencing a lot of upset and anger around the impact Parkinson’s disease was having on my beloved Sam and on our relationship and role reversals. The act of photographing was and is one balancing mechanism for me. Then I found a whole new dimension. When viewing the photographs as a slide show on my MacIntosh, I found a shift in my state of being and an ease of tension.

In relation to you and today’s Self-Reflecting Queries, I invite you to look into your life.

1 – Are there specific places where you are experiencing regular and, almost, automatic tension and responses? Have you found satisfying methods for creating shifts for yourself? If so, are you sharing them with others?

This is sometimes one of the most empowering methods of reinforcement for ourselves. Others will remind us of our power. For a variety of reasons, including having lost interest, I probably would have let Banana Sky drop, except for the support of my friends for whom the DVD has also made a difference. I am very grateful to them, especially for my renewed energy and excitement – that which we get to feel when we’ve gotten past hurdles.

2 – Very often in Picture to Ponder, I speak of how so many times we live in the “story” of something, rather than in the actual “being in what is.”

Today, I am inviting you to look into your life to see what the “stories” are that empower you. Are there “made-up” ones and also ones that are “real” in terms of a series of “factual” occurrences, beginning, middle, end? If you find the latter, are you using them to move you forward or can you?

As always, remember to have fun with this.

Brief Continuation of BANANA SKY DVD Story –
One of the things I’m learning about my work is that without planning, or intention, my photographs often tell a story. It may be so because I’ve always loved stories (starting as early as elementary school and radio soap opera days when I was sick and home from school).

I don’t remember the particular stories that were in the background as I was out photographing the banana tree, sometimes two to three times a day in different lighting. I do know that after the full life cycle of the first plant, I started arranging the photographs for my slide show to be representing life cycles, the plants and ours, as humans.

Once I realized the full effect of my “show”, I decided it might empower other caregivers and individuals who also needed stress relief. I contacted Jeannie Fitzsimmons whose beautiful, healing music I was familiar with. She suggested “Bamboo Ballet” as the perfect background. A variety of challenges and other distractions had Banana Sky in limbo for almost two years and we are now both very excited to have found the best way to get the DVD out to you.

One of the prime features of this DVD is that it works in any DVD player, including those for TVs. Thus those people without computer access, including those who might be bedridden or not computer literate can have benefit of the relaxing photography and music. And you, who may have “normal” tension, can have it playing in the background on your computer as you work.

Another major feature and benefit is that BANANA Sky DVD is set to run as an endless, repeating loop, offering ongoing respite for those who wish it. One person recuperating from surgery remarked, in a thank you note, that he loved sitting with his eyes closed listening to the music, seeing the imagery in front of his closed yes.

Through the end of August, Jeannie and I are offering a $4.00 savings for purchases through the end of August. Again, as I mentioned earlier, you can see a one-minute preview by going to BANANA SKY DVD or go right to the ORDER PAGE.

To peace and beauty!

{ 3 comments }

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →