Family Links

Alex Haley, the author of Roots, said once about family:

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.

Sometimes, we get so wrapped up about genetics being our connection to our past and future. While our DNA may offer sign posts or warning signs to our life, I believe that its our environment that can create the most lasting impact. Our family is a large part of that environment.

Today, I will watch two of my dearest friends marry each other. I love people watching at weddings, because by observing those attending the wedding, you can get an inside look into how the couple became who they are. This extended family present -- which includes relatives as well as friends -- represent the people who have had the greatest influence on the couple to be married. As such, invited guests should be honored to be included in this special circle in the couple's lives.

Origins of Smart Grandchildren

When reading through quotations about family, I came across this anonymous proverb that made me laugh out loud:

One of life's greatest mysteries is how the boy who wasn't good enough to marry your daughter can be the father of the smartest grandchild in the world.

I have a feeling when I get to this stage in my life, my parents might be contemplating this dilemma as well.

Family Matters

I'm thinking a lot about family today, both the one we're born a part of and the one we form ourselves. In honor of family, the next few posts will feature thoughts by great thinkers about what it means to be a family.

Today's quotation was said by my favorite author, Dr. Seuss:

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

That's one of the best parts about being a part of a family whether by biology or design. Our family wishes us to be happy and we are happiest when we are ourselves. Anyone who asks us to change or doesn't support our authentic self was never really family to begin with. Dr. Seuss' litmus test for family is a good one.

Water Balance

While growing up, I thought I would live in California all my life. At the time, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Then in my mid-twenties, I became bolder and itchy for change. I decided to uproot myself from comfy, familiar Southern California and journey to the East Coast and begin the next phase of my life in Washington, DC.

All of the cities I was considering for this move -- DC, Seattle, Boston, New York, and Chicago -- were within driving distance to large bodies of water. It was one of my prerequisites. While I was open to living in a new place where I might not know anyone, I was unwilling to give up proximity to water. Whether it was an ocean, great lake or mighty river, I needed to be able to near enough to see it with little effort. Watching the waves in Kauai earlier this year was one of my favorite activities during the trip.


DC definitely meets that requirement. I enjoy seeing the Potomac River on my way to work each day. Being near water is calming and therapeutic. I may have been spoiled by my California beaches, but the idea of living someplace where I can't marvel at the power of an ocean's waves or the strength of a quick river current is unfathomable to me. I don't know how people who live in the middle of the country or in deserts stand living without them.

Bluegreen Pool

Change is in the air this week, but it is so challenging to make change actually happen. Just ask President Obama, right? It is like swimming in a bottomless pool; you can't sense the depth and the current seems to strong to swim against.

My sister forwarded an email to me a few days ago that discussed how to make life changes. The email's author shared great wisdom about this topic and I wanted to pass it along:

You cannot hope to solve any problem using the same energy that created the problem. Whether it's the endless wars in the world or the unending quarrels and fighting in your own home, the problem is the same: conflicting energy. If you want to change the outcome, change the energy. The extraordinary aspect of this solution is that you do not have to wait for the other party in order to do it.

Some Beach

Somehow September has arrived and summer is officially over. How sad. Thank goodness I was able to get some beach time earlier this year during my March trip to Kauai. So now, I don't feel as badly about not getting any beach time this summer.

Wouldn't it be nice, if regardless of the time of year or weather, beach time was always possible? Island and beach dwellers are lucky in that respect; they can access the beach at any time.

One day, I hope I will be able to live near the ocean. To be able to walk along the ocean shore, sit on the sand admiring the surf and wake to the sound of the seashore would be an extraordinary way to live. While I don't like quoting country singer Kenny Chesney (long story), his "no shoes, no shirt, no problems" life philosophy is a good mantra. But, perhaps I would reword it to say "no shoes, no sleeves, no problems" for my life mantra, just to avoid any indecency problems at the beach.

Northwestern Shoreline

My memory has been playing tricks on me this week, drawing out all of these reminiscing-like observations for the blog. This morning, I awoke with a strange song playing in my head -- Christopher Cross' "Sailing." Now, where did that come from? I haven't heard that song in ages.

Besides being a devotee of Cat Stevens, my father always loved the singer, Christopher Cross. What do both of these singers have in common? They are both singer-songwriters who had huge careers during a particular decade -- Stevens in the 1970s and Cross in the 1980s -- and then fizzled out.

Growing up on an island, my Dad spent a lot of time on boats and so the lyrics of "Sailing" was very relevant to his life. While he is not a yachtsman, I know he misses being near the water and enjoying the freedom of sailing.

Perhaps today I'm longing for that freedom as well, which is why the Christopher Cross song popped into my head this morning. On the commute to work today, as the bus crossed over the Potomac River into the city, I admired the people kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and sailing on the river. Being out on the water would be a great way to start the day.

"Sailing"
by Christopher Cross

It's not far down to paradise
At least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away
And find tranquility
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me

It's not far to never never land
No reason to pretend
And if the wind is right you can find the joy
Of innocence again
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me


Sailing
Takes me away
To where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free


Fantasy
It gets the best of me
When I'm sailing
All caught up in the reverie
Every word is a symphony
Won't you believe me


It's not far back to sanity
At least it's not for me
And when the wind is right you can sail away
And find serenity
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me.

100 and Counting

This is my 100th post on Via My Viewfinder. Unbelievable! I started this blog on a whim on a Saturday night and now 100 consecutive days of daily posts later, I've displayed 100 of my photographs to the world (or at least the handful of you who keep track). What a freeing (and slightly scary) accomplishment!

Since starting this blog, I've discovered quite a few things about myself during this experience and I look forward to what the next 100 days of blog posts hold. There will be photographs from weekend excursions, like this one taken in Atlantic City in November, in the next 100 posts. Also, a trip to Hawaii is on the horizon and I'll be definitely taking my camera along.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned. I promise there will be another post and photograph tomorrow.

Pacific View

Love that there are so many ways to take pictures now. Here's a shot of the Pacific Ocean near San Diego that I took with my cell phone. Incredible! Today, photography can happen any where, whether or not you have your regular camera handy.