Ten Things I am Grateful For

When I am in these situations, it really helps to recall the things I am grateful for, and that is what I am devoting this week’s list to.

What are you grateful for? What keeps you going when life feels overwhelming? I’d like to hear what you have to say, so please feel free to post your thoughts!

1. The Christmas Truce During WWI- In a time of man inflicting evil and harm upon man, there was a brief (and unspoken) truce between the English and the Germans during Christmas of 1914. Through my studies in college, I read a lot about people’s proclivity to harm another. It was difficult reading, to be sure, but when I learned of this, it reinforced the idea that in their hearts, people are generally good.

2. The Carnegie Heroes– in an interview, Walter F. Rutkowski executive director and secretary of the Carnegie Hero Fund defined a hero as: “A civilian, which means no military, who, voluntarily, leaves a point of safety, to risk his own life or her own life to an extraordinary degree to save or attempt to save the life of another human.” The people described on the site were ordinary people who did what they felt they had to do to help another person, typically a stranger. In disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, etc., there are a multitude of heroes and helpers, but the reason why these folks really struck a chord with me is that they were just going about their daily lives, fishing, on vacation, or even safe and sound in their beds. That they did something this significant for someone that they never bet before gives me hope. Check out their website here: http://www.carnegiehero.org/herofund.php

3. New Experiences- In my introduction to this list, I mentioned how difficult having your own business can be. While that is true, I am so happy I made this leap. After photographing rare books and manuscripts in darkened studios at The Art Institute of Chicago, Yale, and most recently Harvard, getting to finally photograph people, to learn how to run a successful business, and to really hone my craft has been an amazing experience, and I am excited about what my future holds.

4. Spring- I have several weddings coming up this summer, and one of the things I really like to do with couples is to have an engagement photo session with them. It is a great way to get used to each other, to photograph them in a place that has a lot of meaning to them, or that they find beautiful. With the colder weather, it hasn’t been so appealing to go out and take these photos. But, Spring is here, summer is coming, and the sun is setting later and later. After this cold and snowy winter, I am sure all of us New Englander’s are excited to get out of the house!

5. Working With People- Photographing people is immensely rewarding. In-home family sessions give me a peek into the joy that families share, and how happy they are just being together and playing. Weddings allow me to see the love that this couple shares, and to see the support from all their guests is just amazing. Doing what I do just fits my personality, and these emotions resonate with me, and hopefully come across in my work.

6. The Support of my Wife- The job I had at Harvard was coming to an end, and I was torn between really making a go of the business I started about ten months previous, and accepting another job involving photographing books and other materials, something I was well versed in, but in which I held a diminishing interest. A newlywed, I wanted to take that job to help support us and to keep us financially secure. But, she kept nudging me to pursue my dreams, to jump in with both feet, no matter how scary it is, and here I am! The business is growing, people are finding out about me and are hiring me to photograph their weddings and families, and I am really learning so much more than if I had stayed in the same line of work. Without my wife there to support me, I am quite sure I would not be doing this. I love you, wife lady 🙂

7. Hope– I remember my dad used to tell (not read, but tell) me bedtime stories. I loved them and was always eager to hear another. Many years later, I discovered that all the stories he told me from memory were actually the stories of Greek and Roman mythology. The story of Pandora’s box is the one I most vividly remember. Pandora opened the box, releasing all kinds of nastiness on the world. At the bottom of that box, all beat up and spent, was Hope. Despite the worst of circumstances, Hope is alive. Maybe close to death, but still breathing.

8. Friends and family- Sometimes in the last few months, I have stopped and thought to myself “I have no idea what I’m doing!” Those are the times that I have reached out to friends and family for advice and guidance. I have a wedding photographer friend in Columbus, OH (http://www.mankophoto.com/) who has offered all kinds of advice and support, and I am incredibly grateful for our relationship. As I mentioned earlier, my wife has been invaluable to the growth of the business. Also, I wanted more experience in photographing families in their homes, and when I approached my friends, they were eager to help! They welcomed me into their homes, and let me make my mistakes and learn my lessons so that I was able to really shine when it came to photographing clients. Those opportunities were just great, and I will always be thankful for their help in letting me grow photographically.

9. The Quiet of the Woods- In my teenage years, I really enjoyed going to some woods near my house (part of Mt. Airy Forest in Cincinnati). There, I felt to be my true self. It was quiet, meditative, and timeless. I rarely saw other folks there, and after a busy day in high school surrounded by throngs of others, it was nice to hear only the stream and the birds, and feel the sun on my face. Luckily, there are similar places around Somerville that I can go, and for that I am grateful. It really helps recharge my batteries.

10. The Appalachian Trail- Yep, for anyone that has met me in the past few years has quickly found out that I thru-hiked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. Likely some of you are tired of hearing my stories, but what an experience! I will never forget my time out there. It was an opportunity to really feel myself, like when I was roaming the woods of Mt. Airy in my teenage years, but so much more amplified.