Grateful to live this life

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Since I make the habit of photographing regularly late last year, I notice how much photography has enriched my life over the years. When I photograph close to home or on occasions when I traveled out of the country in years past, I am in the state of mind of looking out for beautiful moments or subjects to photograph. When doing so, I am actively focusing my attention on the positives that are present in my life. I often take photographs that reflect something I am grateful for. The picture could be of a material item, or it could be something that inspires emotion in a moment.

When preparing for each of my mentoring sessions with my mentor Elizabeth, I curate a set of images that we discuss during our time spent together. Looking back at the images I submitted since we started working together, I notice I have been creating a visual album of things I am grateful for they change the way I perceive situations, and help me notice the wonder of things that that surrounded me every day. When I have my camera in hand, I pay much closer attention and notice the plethora of things that bring me joy but frequently go unnoticed as I get caught up in the many obligations of daily life. With photography, I momentarily and consciously recognize things in my environment that bring me joy despite those moments being fleeting.

By taking a photo of the items or moments that I cherish for their presence, it gives me something tangible to turn to when I am in a funk and need something to give me a little boost mentally and physically. We can certainly use some visual reminders when the two primary obstacles to gratefulness are forgetfulness and the lack of mindful awareness. A photo can serve as a visual cue to trigger thoughts of gratitude.

I make the commitment to looking for positives in my life with my style of photography.  It is akin to keeping a visual gratitude journal which enables me to remind myself of the gifts, grace, benefits, and good things I enjoy. By recalling moments of gratitude associated with ordinary events, or kindness and beauty I perceive that is happening around me, it gives me the potential to interweave a sustainable theme of greatness into my life.

Photography also forces me to be grateful for the little things. We often remember to be grateful for big events – going on a trip to an exotic location or graduation, but it can be more difficult to feel grateful for the small things we do every day. Reminding yourself the beauty of falling snow, for example, is in itself special and can be very powerful.  Your immediate awareness of the scene filled with fresh snow is a great way to enjoy those quiet moments during winter. Another example is feeling grateful in the morning when seeing sun rise, everything slowly emerges from darkness and how they come to life and gain vitality in the sun. All those small moments provide nourishment to our life when we open our hearts to bear witness.