Opportunity in Every Difficulty

In times of turmoil like this week with Boston and now West, Texas, I've always turned to the crafty wisdom of the great Sir Winston Churchill for inspiration. For most situations, there's always a Churchill quotation that will provide guidance and support.

The Churchill quote that accompanies today's image is one of my favorites. It's Churchill's take on glass half-full or half-empty debate.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

When challenges and crises arise in our lives and communities, we must band together and collectively look for the opportunities in the difficulties. We need to find more silver linings.

If we all just hold our heads and bemoan life's difficulties and unfairness, we are embracing pessimism and dooming ourselves to keep swimming in circles like these ducks in the Tidal Basin.

Early Light

As I discussed in an earlier blog post, I'm participating in the Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk in June to raise funding and awareness of suicide prevention.

While finding content to include on my fundraising page, I came across a Rascal Flatts song I was unfamiliar with, but very relevant to this cause. I've always loved Rascal Flatts, and I was surprised that I didn't recall ever hearing this one before.

"Why" is written from the perspective of someone who is trying to understand why a loved one completed suicide. It's lyrics are powerful, and will be an essential song on my walk playlist in June.

"Why"
Performed by Rascal Flatts
You must have been in a
Place so dark
You couldn't feel the light
Reachin' for you through
That stormy cloud
Now here we are
Gathered in our little hometown
This can't be the way
You meant to draw a crowd

Oh why, that's what I keep asking
Was there anything I could've
Said or done
Oh, I had no clue you were
Masking
A troubled soul, God only knows
What went wrong and why
You would leave the stage
In the middle of a song

Now in my mind I'll keep you frozen
As a seventeen-year-old
Rounding third to score the
Winning run
You always played with passion
No matter what the game
When you took the stage
You'd shine just like the sun

Oh why, that's what I keep asking
Was there anything I could've
Said or done
Oh, I had no clue you were
Masking
A troubled soul, God only knows
What went wrong and why
You would leave the stage
In the middle of a song

Now the oak trees are swaying
In the early autumn breeze
A golden sun is shining on my face
Through tangled thoughts
I hear a mockingbird sing
This old world really ain't that
Bad of a place

Oh why, there's no comprehending
And who am I to try to
Judge or explain
Oh, but I do have one
Burning question
Who told you life wasn't
Worth the fight
They were wrong, they lied
Now you're gone and we cry
'Cause it's not like you to
Walk away
In the middle of a song

Your beautiful song
Your absolutely beautiful song

Here's hoping that our efforts for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will help keep more "beautiful songs" in our world.

Under Construction

Today was the first time since November that I've visited in the area around the Washington Monument. I was greeted by a large fence preventing visitors from getting close and views of scaffolding being constructed around the monument.

Since the 5.8 earthquake rattled the region in 2011, the Washington Monument has been closed to the public due to the appearance of large cracks and other structural damage throughout the monument.

For past repairs, the National Parks Service (NPS) added decorative red, white and blue lights to the scaffolding to reduce its appearance as an eyesore on the National Mall.

Since it will take at least five months to build the scaffolding alone, hopefully the NPS is planning to add the lights again once the scaffolding is completed and repair work begins. Adding an artistic element to the construction work may decrease locals' grumbling and reduce tourists' disappointment.

Monumental View from White House South Portico

Ever wondered what the First Family sees when they step out on the balcony of the South Portico? Just a few national monuments. No big deal.

Taken with my back towards the White House back door, this photograph captures what the U.S. President and his or her family would see every day -- the Washington Monument on the left, the Jefferson Memorial in the distance and the South Lawn fountain in the center.

In between the fountain and the South Portico is a large lawn area where the First Family hosts events like the annual Easter Egg Roll and the location where the President's helicopter, Marine One, takes off and lands.

Around Every Corner

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, it feels like around every corner there's a national monument.

Even from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, you can still see the Washington Monument which is located in the District a good distance from the Potomac River.

It's a nice view for those resting at Arlington, and a special perspective for visitors stopping by to pay their respects.

Wondering What's Going to Happen

Today's thought is courtesy of one of my favorite childhood authors and the creator of Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne:

“"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.”

Rising with the Sun at the Lincoln Memorial

During the work week, I often arrive at the office early to get a jump start on my email inbox and cross a few items off my daily task list. I don't enjoy rising early for work, and grumbling usually follows my alarm clock alert.

However, something different happens when the alarm goes off in the wee hours of the morning for sunrise photo trips. Waking up before the sun -- even on a Sunday morning -- to photograph the sunrise never feels like a chore or even hardship.

As a photographer, the light that time of day is so inspiring that I can't resist the opportunity to visit new or familiar places as the sun rises. Plus, there's is nothing more energizing than being present and watching a new day begin.

Gray Clouds After the Rain

Don't you wish rain storms were as romantic in real life as they are in the movies? I can think of hundreds of films that have a scene when the rain falls and the characters caught in the storm either laugh, cry, shout in anger, fall in love or even dance. And while those scenes make for great movie moments, they aren't very realistic.

We rarely witness rain-filled film scenes depicting how people really behave when it rains. In a summer full of thunderstorms, I've witnessed people in the rain rushing about with their umbrellas, grumbling and complaining about the weather. They drive too fast in their cars. While there are a few who feel joy as the drops fall, abandoning themselves and their umbrellas in the downpour, I've never witnessed dancing during rain showers like Gene Kelly in "Singing in the Rain."

I belong to the group who huddle under umbrellas and avoid stepping in puddles during a storm. But, when the sky begins to clear and it's spotted with gray clouds and blue sky, I do find myself whistling. I'll even admit to skipping a little bit on my way once the rain stops falling.

After the storm passes, everything seems lighter. Then, laughing, singing, dancing and the like seem as natural a reaction as it does in our favorite movies.

Disappearing Monument

It's been quite a week of Cherry Blossom walking and photographing, although the weather has been less than stellar. Most of my sunrise excursions this week have been met with either fog or rain -- neither good photography weather.

What happened to the warm, sunny weather that brought out the blossoms a week earlier that projected? Who knows. All I'm hoping for is that blue skies and bright days will soon be at our doorstep once more.

However, I must admit that the overcast skies at the Tidal Basin and along the Potomac River created this cool moment where the top of the Washington Monument seemed to disappear in the fog. While grey skies aren't my favorite photo backdrops, I have to admit this moment was fun to capture.

Front Row Seat for Spring

Bestselling author and humorist Erma Bombeck once said:

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."

Sorry & Perspective

So, today's image is all about perspective, which has been a running theme in conversations this week.

In a revealing conversation with my sister today (which by the way, I love that she and I have them frequently), we talked about our perspectives on apologies and forgiveness.

I mentioned that saying sorry has lost it's meaning. Instead of people using it to express regret, apologize and/or willingness not to repeat past mistakes, it is used as a new pause button during disagreements and transgressions. At times, "I'm sorry" is said just to end an act that may be repeated again later. Sorriness can be part of a frustrating cycle of people saying it to stop a disagreement and then not resolving them.

Instead of sorry, I prefer for people to just be different, learning from the past and choosing better choices in the future. I desire more action over words.

Being different and acting differently has nothing to do forgetting what's happened. We don't actually ever forget, but through action, through forgiveness, we can let go and move forward. Forgiveness is a process. Forgiveness can't be given automatically, but evolves once the decision is made to start its journey.

At the end of the day, life is all about forward motion. Our words, thoughts and actions should propel us forward, progressing and evolving.

"I'm sorry" can hold great power in our relationships, if we truly mean them and embrace its promise to be different. Elton John sang that "sorry seems to be the hardest word." That's because when said with meaning, it can be difficult to say, difficult to really mean it. But when we really mean it, our lives can really change. We free ourselves to be different.

Snow and the Washington Monument

The weather in Washington, DC is like that Katy Perry song. It's hot. Then it's cold. It's warmer (not really hot) and then freezing again. Perhaps the ups and downs of the temperature gauge would be easier to take if there was a little snow falling to entertain us. Instead, we have lots of temperature changes and no snow.

So when the mercury falls, I find other ways to stay warm. Thinking of dear family and friends -- near and far -- is a good soul warmer.

Here's a lovely thought about the real definition of family to warm your heart too. While its author is anonymous, the sentiment should be remembered and taken to heart.

Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs. The ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile, and who love you no matter what.

Blossoms and the Washington Monument

Brrrrr. It's cold on the East Coast right now. Local weather reporters are promising warmer days ahead. However, it doesn't seem like they are arriving soon.

I can't help wishing for a shorter winter and an earlier, longer spring. Right now, I'm longing for mild spring mornings on the National Mall, walking among the blooming trees and admiring the marble monuments in contrast to clear blue skies.

As in the movie, Field of Dreams, where the characters believed that "if you build it, they will come," perhaps if I will spring to arrive sooner, it will.

Rediscovering the Archives

Last Christmas, I read about Kodak's new digital photo frame -- Kodak Pulse -- which is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing the frame to be refreshed and updated through the Internet. Users can upload photos directly to the frame or link it to existing Kodak Gallery or Facebook albums. Also through a unique email address, you allow family and friends to email photos that would automatically display in the frame.

I knew this would be the perfect holiday gift for my parents who love to showoff photos of our growing family. Sure enough, it was a big hit. Since then I've recommended the frame to everyone. It is the perfect way to keep grandparents informed of the events and special moments in the lives of their children and grandchildren or a way to say "hello" or "I'm thinking of you" to someone struggling at home with a long-term illness. After finally purchasing one for my own home, I discovered that the Kodak Pulse is another way for me to enjoy the thousands of photos I've taken over the past 10 years as an amateur photographer and unearth new photos for this blog.

Keeping track of my expanding photo archives has been challenging. The frame became a solution to this problem by displaying older images I had long forgotten, such as this image taken near Reagan National Airport during autumn with the Washington Monument in the background. I took more than 140 photos during this photo excursion a few years ago and at the time, overlooked its interesting color and composition.

Each day, I look forward to discovering what photographs my Kodak Pulse will reveal and its potential as future posts on the blog. I'll be featuring some of these rediscovered photographs in the next couple blog entries.

Springtime Look at the National Mall

Did you know that the National Mall is arranged in the shape of a cross? From this view of DC from the Netherlands Carillon on the other side of the Potomac River, you can see the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol Building appearing in a row. It's actually an illusion, since those three landmarks form the vertical bar of the National Mall "cross" -- Lincoln Memorial is the base, the Washington Monument is the middle, and U.S. Capitol Building is the top. The White House and Jefferson Memorial make up the far points of the horizontal bar.

A city designed and led by Free Masons, their symbols and icons appear throughout Washington, DC. If author Dan Brown is to be believed, Masonic iconography is the key to understanding the design of the National Mall. I'm no expect on the topic, but I do find the repetition of shapes and symbols in the city's architecture, monuments and layout fascinating and worth studying further.

Early Morning Swim

During calm weather, the water of the Tidal Basin serves as a mirror, reflecting on its surface the national monuments and foliage surrounding it. Before the rain began to fall during my early morning visit to the Cherry Blossom this year, I captured this moment of a duck during an early morning swim, disturbing the still surface of the Tidal Basin. I love how the duck's motion and ripples also alters the reflection of the Washington Monument on the Basin's surface.

Ghostly View

I started my morning today with a quick stroll on the National Mall for a photo project I'm working on, and discovered a new photo perspective at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I've always loved that the material used for the wall acts as a mirror, reflecting the image of the people looking at the names on its surface. It was an innovative way for the memorial's architect Maya Lin to humanize the monument and make it a more personal experience for visitors. We, or our loved ones, could easily have been names on this wall.

Since it was too early for tourists to be visiting the wall this morning, I got an unobstructed view of the wall's reflection and noticed that it can reflect the landscape around it as well. What a haunting way to see the trees on the National Mall and the Washington Monument. And yet, even while admiring the reflected vista, you can still see the thousands of names etched on the black granite and not miss the impact of its solemn tribute.

Tidal Basin at Sunset

Practicing photography around the National Mall can be overwhelming. There are so many interesting landmarks and subjects to include in a photograph regardless of where you point your camera lens. As a result, it can be difficult to edit the composition so the resulting image is not cluttered. For example, today's photograph features three distinctive elements of the National Mall region -- the Washington Monument, the Tidal Basin and a blooming Cherry Blossom tree. The challenge for photographers in this situation is determining how best to set up the composition so that the subjects complement each other. To accomplish this feat, I decided to use the rule of thirds and place the monument and the Cherry Blossoms in opposing thirds to create balance in the final image. Also, I kept the water of the Tidal Basin level as to not disrupt the balance achieved by the other two elements. The final product is a calming, reflective photograph that captures the iconic nature of the National Mall, yet promotes the peacefulness of the area at sunset as well.

Washington Monument

During my first visit to the Tidal Basin to see the Cherry Blossoms in bloom, I took this photo of the Washington Monument in the distance. To this day, it is still one of my favorite photos of Washington, DC.

The monument is so tall, it often appears in the background of landscape photographs of the downtown DC area. It is shaped like an Egyptian obelisk, stands 555’ 5 1/8” tall. From the top, visitors can see city views of more than thirty miles. Like the American President it honors, it's the trademark image of the National Capital and a frequent subject of my annual Cherry Blossom photographs.

Scattered Leaves on the National Mall

Winter is coming and I'm not happy about it. It has been pretty chilly in Washington, DC this week. It was the first time this season, I've had to wear a winter coat every day to work. Needing winter coats, scarves and gloves to stay warm is the first indication that autumn is coming to a close and winter with its snow, ice and wind chill is on the horizon. Urgh.

In memory and in observance of the passing of autumn, I'm going to keep posting my autumn-related photos. I'm going to take an "if you build it, they will come" approach to holding winter at bay a little longer. This photo of a lone tree near the Washington Monument with its autumn leaves scattered on the ground is one of my favorites from last year's autumn photo expeditions.