Getting Back To It…
Aging gracefully… did I mention one of the things I love to do is blog and content create? I just haven’t always have the time for it which I plan to change that a bit this year. With each year that passes I keep feeling the shift of life.. go along with it.
One of the things I promised is that every 2-3 years I’ll get in front of the camera and capture the changes. My hope has always been with each generation there will always be a trace of us. That they would mention us in their conversations or memories of these pictures maybe even comment “So cool that was my mom or grandmother one day”. This may sound cliche but I’m starting to believe more and more the saying “you age like fine wine”. I really don’t feel my age..although I’m not exactly sure what 44 is supposed to feel like, but whatever it is I’m not there. Lol
Maybe just maybe it’s because I have small children that keep my on my toes, or a soon to be young adult daughter I need to make sure I’m up to speed with… elderly parents where the tables have turned and now I play a role in watching over them guiding them in this stage in their lives or perhaps having a younger husband is something I appreciate more than ever (although he’s catching up finally)… lol (I’ll spare the details). I’m probably in better shape than I’ve been in a very long time if not ever. lol When you find something you love stick with it! (Shout out to OTF- for keeping my game strong) With that said nothing lasts forever and many time that comes with a few set backs.. that forcefully make my ass take a seat but that’s ok it’s always ok. When the time comes you start again.. it’s never too late.
I remember as a kid looking up to adults, imagining that I could never be as old as they were. It’s shocking to consider that when I was 10 years old, my mom was 44 and my dad was 46. Here I am same age… No way that could possibly be true and yet it is. But as I look around at my friends, some with kids in high school, some with young toddlers, young children, or grown adults..the not-so-subtle truth begins to dawn on me that not only am I an adult, I’m a middle-aged adult at that. But I don’t think my age has ever really defined who I am, so why start now?
I love to have fun and live life to the fullest: Life isn’t always rainbows and puppies, and this last year we went through many challenging moments the toughest was… losing our family dog Rocky. Life has just been different without him but I know he’s watching over us. I’ve also had great moments.. had amazing opportunities that I never thought in a million years would happen. Had the opportunity to shoot some of the coolest people and along that met some amazing people who some I get to call friends now. I continue to just surround myself with anything or anyone that is uplifting. I feel like with each person I take a little something good away from it.
But more important whatever is thrown your way (god knows I’ve had a lot thrown my way) it’s important to remember that one is never alone or, better said, no one has to be alone. It’s a choice, as are most things, and how we decide to progress through life is entirely up to us.
Right now our kids are 5, 7 and almost 18 year old! Gus and I are loving these “magical years of parenting” and I quote “magical” lol some days are not easy and then we have the days where they can get themselves fed and dressed and still want to hang with us. Then we have the our soon to be college years..where “little tiny” as we call each other…where we can actually have grown adults conversations and situations. Some say the best of both worlds?? But more importantly thank god we have someone who knows more of social media algorithms than both of us put together. But let’s keep it real having a career that is heavily embedded in social media is not always easy and exhausting. I started my (second) career as a photographer in 2017 and boy has it been a ride… a REAL WILD RIDE.
I am so grateful I was able to take some time to reset and actually work on this first blog post in a while. This reset felt different… I asked myself so many hard questions. I read about blockages in life, being at peace, and transitioning soon to a new stage in life and that is having life without my daughter home every day. That will definitely be a huge change and transition for me.. something I’ve been mentally working on for a few months now. Sometimes you need these kinds of resets and that’s ok. I dove more into spirituality and a closer relationship and connection to god. It was like a pair of cloudy gray glasses were lifted off my eyes and I felt really supported, warm, hopeful, clear, and like I belonged here. My pep came back in my step a little. I was saying yes again to opportunities that felt aligned with where I wanted to go. I re-invested my time back HERE, into this blog – the one element that I let go of that I’ve always loved to do. I feel like I have reached the halfway mark in life. While that feels bittersweet, I have also started to embrace aging with a more confident mindset than I had in my younger years.
I consider myself to be very blessed. I have a loving husband, my wonderful children, great family and small circle of friends, and two (actually 3) careers that I love. I have been reflecting on truths about life that I wish I had known when I was younger. Many of these truths I heard growing up but did not fully believe or understand until I lived through them myself. So I’ll end it with a few things that stuck with me in my journey of life.
I would rather have tranquility than perfect results.
I am not an expert on life by any means. But I am sincere in what I desire to share with others
Proudly wear a bathing suit at the pool or at the beach. No one cares if you do not look the same in a bathing suit as you did twenty years ago. Have fun in the summer with your spouse, your children, and your friends. Make memories and take the photographs. (Lots of them) lol your kids will thank you one day
It sounds cliché but let go of the past. You are a different person now than you were years ago. No amount of regret will change what happened, but shame and guilt can paralyze your future. (It took me a long time to get this one .. still not perfect but getting there)
No matter the choices you make in life, other people will form opinions about you, often without knowing 100% of the truth of your story. Don’t stress about it. Those who truly matter to you know your character.
Nothing is more draining than trying to make everyone happy. This is not an excuse to resort to selfishness. But our peace and the well-being of our family must always come first.
If you set healthy and realistic boundaries, some people will resent you for doing so. Set them anyways. Your peace is more important than their opinion.
It is far better to give than to receive. If you can help someone financially or with your time consider doing so.
If it doesn’t sit well with you, if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.
Never stop reading. Never stop learning
Raise the child you have, in all their uniqueness..not the child you thought you would have.
There are no perfect parents. Parents are still working on themselves while raising their children. Show yourself grace.
Teach your children good manners, how to be respectful, how to take turns, and how to apologize. The whole world will thank you for it.
2/2/2 rule in marriage (big on this) every 2 weeks go out for the evening, every 2 months go out for the weekend, and every 2 years go away for the week. (For us it’s been 5 days at most) but most important stay connected.
If you see something beautiful in another person, let him or her know. The whole world is aching for kindness right now.
Self care! Take care of yourself first or you won’t be good for anyone else.
Hope you enjoyed my getting back to blogging bday post! lol
Thank you thank to my sista! It’s been a ride together..but you always seem to capture me so beautifully even when I don’t always feel it. Can’t wait to share more!! This image was perfect with my post it felt so freeing. Love you Diana! @loveprintphotography
