Dang I was doing so well with regular posts for awhile …but alas I’ve been missing in action from my blog here for almost 2 months! The holiday season took over and this blog got pushed to the back burner. Now that the mayhem is over and yet another year is drawing to a close, I find myself in reflection mode both on a personal and professional level. It seems every December 31st I pause and take a look at the past year.
On the personal side, I stop and remember all the happy moments and think about how my boys have grown during the year. Perhaps this year is a tad different as just a few weeks ago I hit a milestone of my own ….I turned 40. In just a few weeks my eldest son will hit a new milestone as well …he is turning 10. Double digits as he puts it. We will both be starting a new decade of our lives. My youngest son just lost his first baby tooth on Christmas day. So for me the year end is also signaling a new stage of my family. My kids are morphing out of the little kid phase. Sigh…yes, I know it’s just a tooth and a birthday but if you are a parent (doubly if you are mom) you’ll get it how I can mourn the loss of my boy’s baby years while simultaneously doing the happy dance that we are done with all the bottles, diapers, car seats and toys that make noise when no one is around (okay …maybe we still have a few of those around yet). Time is such a funny thing. One second you are in the moment and loving life and then you blink and that moment is the past and you are on to the next. Life is fun, sometimes it’s challenging, but no matter what it is always rewarding even if it does seem to be a blur half the time. Having children just makes you more aware of how quickly time passes because they change so much with each year and we don’t. (nope…sssh…I don’t hear you … I’m in denial and I like it here just fine!)
I think that for me photography is more than just making pretty images. I think its an inner desire to stop longer in the moment that is actually physically possible. Okay yes, I’ve been watching a bit of Dr. Who over the holiday so this thought train might be my way to fill my secret desire to be a time lord. But we work with what we’ve got right? And what a cool thing – that I can use my camera to stop a moment so that it can be revisited again and again. Who needs a TARDIS.
On a professional level I look back and think about all the wonderful people who came to me trusting me to capture their moments. I look back through images from the year and it never fails to jazz me up. It’s like I get to be a part of your family for just a few minutes every time I see you. I get see your families start, grow and your kids change from year to year. Its a special thing in so many ways I don’t think I can quite explain it. I can only wish that 2010 brings me many more moments and connections both personally and professionally.
I wish you all very happy new year!
…and instead of watching the ball drop..I’m going back to our Dr. Who marathon =-)
-meg