"winter" photo by Elaine A. Russell. Taken TTV with a vintage Brownie Hawkeye
... my very first camera.

The year is winding down rather quickly. I am finding that I have several projects that I would like to finish before the new year...phone calls to make... business taxes to do... etc. This way I can start off the new year "fresh."
This past year has been a difficult one on many levels... friendships that have come and gone... people who have passed in and out of my life... health issues... money issues... kids growing up and getting ready to move on to their own exciting adventures...remodeling and working on the house...no longer having any pro camera equipment...making some major career decisions...
And yet; these seemingly troublesome issues have brought goodness. New friends. New people in my life... a resurgence of good health...a simpler lifestyle...a moving on to a new phase of my life...re-inventing and becoming more creative with my photography...discovering what is really important to me...

In the whole scheme of things... alot of what we(I) worry about is trivial. Sometimes it takes events and transitions to make us reflect more and figure out what truly is necessary to this life. What moves us. What makes us happy. What could possibly change things for the better... not just for me in my little corner...but possibly for someone else as well.

I've never been one for making resolutions for the new year. It seems like a self defeating prophecy of sorts...at least for me. I prefer to think of each new year as a new opportunity for growth and change. For explorations inward and outward bound. To meet new friends... to learn.
What will this next year hold? Who knows. But I am looking forward to the adventure.