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.

Snow and Shadows on the National Mall

Oh Monday, Monday. Why do you always cause me to sigh and breathe so deeply?

In order to get through dreaded Mondays, I meditate on the image of crisp, bright outdoor places, such as this photograph of the National Mall covered in snow. This scene is so serene and calming.

Farewell Monday. Let the countdown to the weekend begin.

Close-up of Bronze Tree in Snow

Irish writer and poet Oscar Wilde once said, "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

As we start a new week, let's strive to do more living than existing.

Bronze Tree in Snow

Nature's color palette is remarkable. Even during the gray of winter, there can still be flashes of color like this bronze leaf tree on the National Mall.

Perhaps it is a reminder that in the bleakest moments, there is always a flash of life.

Truth in the Midst of a Lie

The Internet is like an enormous public library, except while it does offer lots of useful information, it equally provides as much misinformation as well.

Recently, my dad shared an email forward supposedly sent by his favorite comedian, Bill Cosby. After years of reading email forwards shared by family, friends and co-workers, I've grown suspicious of the attribution included in these messages. Did Bill Cosby really say all of those unpleasant statements about Americans? I didn't think so and I investigated it.

Within minutes of checking Snopes.com -- a site dedicated to tracking and documenting the truth about these email forwards -- I discovered that it was indeed another Internet hoax. Instead Cosby authoring that opinion piece about his tiredness with America's (and certain Americans') social issues, it was an unfamiliar former Marine who wrote it for a community newspaper. This is just another example of how sourcing sloppiness is running amok on the World Wide Web. Just this week, one of my co-workers wrote a great blog post about this plague of plagiarism and mistaken attribution on the Internet.

Once my public speaking professor shared that it takes only seven times to learn something, but 37 times to unlearn it. I've never been able to verify that statistic, but if it's true, that's quite a high cost for sharing incorrect information.

Today, I saw this fantastic quote on Facebook attributed to the Dalai Lama. Although it actually wasn't said by him, I still think it is worthy of sharing. At the end of the day, does it really matter if someone well known says something as opposed to just a regular person who had an insightful thought? I don't think so.

Words to live don't need attribution; they just need to be taken seriously and applied to our daily lives. So take in the life truth below and disregard it's inaccurate source. Somehow in the midst of the lie resides a great truth we should still think about and remember. Cheers.

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered, "Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."

Standing in the Storm

Holding up the dome featured in yesterday's photograph of the District of Columbia War Memorial are a circle of pillars made of marble. They are striking, especially in contrast to the sparse tree of winter in the background of today's image.

Pillars are known for strength. According to the dictionary, a pillar is defined as "a tall vertical structure of stone, wood, or metal, used as a support for a building, or as an ornament or monument." Watching Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) resign from the U.S. House of Representatives and leave Congress on Wednesday reminded me of these pillars. What a remarkable human being.

In her farewell remarks to her colleagues yesterday, Giffords said, "I will recover and will return, and we will work together again, for Arizona, and for all Americans." And I believe she will return to the halls of Capitol Hill once more. It's what a great pillar would do, right?

The source of Giffords' strength and resilience must be founded in her recognition, understanding and acceptance of who she is and what is important to her. Before the terrible shooting last year and during the months after, you get the sense that Giffords really knows herself and uses that personal knowledge and truth to draw courage for the years of recovery ahead. As a result, she continues to earn the respect of her peers on the Hill -- no easy feat -- and keeps steady and focused on this challenging and frustrating road of recovery.

Another example of  pillar, Elizabeth Edwards, once shared in her autobiography what she wanted her children to say about her to their children in the future:

When they are older and telling their own children about their grandmother, they will be able to say that she stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way -- and it surely has not -- she adjusted her sails.

Life can be filled with so many storms. Like Giffords and Edwards, we must live to be steadfast and strong. We must strive to pillars that stay upright in the midst of life's own howling winds and blinding rain, willing to to adjust our sails to accommodate life's ebbs and flows. In the storm, we must stand and keep supporting our own life domes.

Thankfully, at least we still have Gabby Giffords in our world now to show us how to do it with courage, optimism and grace.

District of Columbia War Memorial Dome

Did you know that black-and-white images do not use the colors black and white?

Black-and-white photographs use shades of gray, otherwise called grayscale, to compose images. If the photograph was just black-and-white, it would look more like line art and its photo subjects would lack dimension and shadows.

Even though I love black-and-white photographs, I tend to keep most of my images in color. Gray-scaled images are interesting, but I find the color versions more appealing and honest.

For example, the colorlessness of today's photo of the dome of the District of Columbia War Memorial could make a great black-and-white photograph. However, I like the contrast and variation that even the little color present in the image creates for the viewer.