Sunday Morning Reflections - Time for the Simple Life?

From Awesome11.com

It's a pretty typical Sunday morning. As usual, I'm stepping away from the business of photography, but only a little bit. I knew what I wanted to write about, just couldn't find the way to get the post started. I typed "quotes about life" into Google, and the little gem up top came up.

Between last week's trip to Nebraska for Marathon's MAP Getaway and my regular online connections with so many photographers, I was with one person after another who have yet to understand the simplicity of life - telling people what we need.   

So many of us have been brought up on the principles of DIY when it comes to anything with even a glimmer of emotion attached. My Dad used to talk about doing your own laundry.  Over and over again if something bothered me, it just stayed locked up inside. Even things that had a solid positive foundation were often not shared. 

Then Sheila came into my life and shared pretty much everything. She'd say, "Ask for what you want. Ask for what you need!" It was a new concept. 

I'm suggesting everyone needs to do a better job of stepping out from behind the curtain. We need to tell friends we miss them; make a stronger effort to spend time together, ask questions when we don't understand something and take the time to explain when we think we've been misunderstood. We need to stop apologizing before we ask for something as if it's wrong to need something just for ourselves. 

The last two points above, for me, go together - I'm still a work in progress, but when I start to feel stressed I let it go. I refuse to let things I have no control over eat away at me. And, most important of all, when we love someone we need to say it - at all levels. Your spouse and your kids are easy - it's friends and associates who watch our backs. They need to hear about the important role they play in our lives.

So, on this gorgeous Sunday morning in Sarasota, I'm wishing everybody a "Simple Life" and a day filled with close friends, family and most important of all, the people you love the most. Remember those eleven-second hugs. Take the time to think about how you express yourself on those nine points above.

Happy Sunday everybody!

Life is short. Break the rules, forgive quickly,
kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncrontrollably,
and never regret anything that made you smile.
Anon