That morning was gorgeous. Just picture perfect: Blue sky, shiny white snow and bright November light that caressed nature and made everything around me look beautiful.
When I took the trash out, I noticed that the plow car had visited during the night and cleared our yard of snow. That made me even more happy.
I took our youngest child to daycare and the older one to pre-school. After arriving back home, I lingered a while outside in our yard and inhaled the scents of that beautiful winter morning.
I wanted to stay in that moment and enjoy it for a while before letting my to-do list and work plans take over my thoughts. I knew that they would keep me sitting in front of my laptop for the rest of the day.
As I opened the door to return inside, I got a flashback from this fall. The flashback was a very powerful one: it was one of those moments when your intuition screams at you instead of gently whispering.
The flashback moment was something I experienced earlier this year at our sauna cottage where I was writing the lectures for my online course. I was behind the schedule so I had to just sit inside and type.
After writing for some time I heard a flock of cranes passing our house. I looked outside the window. The cranes were whooping and flying past me casting their shadows on the placid lake. Birches by the lakeshore looked almost golden as the afternoon sun painted their leaves golden adding a touch of color to the live painting that was being created before me.
That moment right there was the moment:
I experienced an overwhelming feeling, almost physical pain caused by the realization that I should have been there outside capturing that fleeting moment.
That’s where I belonged and longed to be.
In that autumn moment, I couldn’t make it happen but I made a promise to myself that after finishing the online course I would make a change and adjust my life so that I could just live more with the camera, and needed to sit less in front of the screen.
That morning, as I was sweeping the snow and enjoying the beautiful winter morning, I remembered my promise and decided that now is the time to make it happen.
“This is it”, I said to myself and pushed the to-do list mentally aside.
I grabbed the camera and walked outside to photo.
As I was preparing the 360 camera for shooting I was thinking to myself how amazing and empowering it felt to take the knowledge and insight that I had gathered on my path to wellbeing and utilize it by sharing it through the online course. However, I didn’t realize that the online course would mean closing one door behind me so that I could open another door.
We can help each other and share bits and pieces of wellbeing in so many ways. Teaching and advising is one way but now I know that it’s not mine. My place is elsewhere, and I believe by taking that place I can do more good.
I glanced towards our house and noticed that my husband had started cleaning inside the house. For a moment I thought going there to help him and interrupting my photoshoot.
Then I thought back about my flashback and realized that these moments go by so quickly. When your flock of cranes passes by, you need to hold on to that moment, capture and enjoy it. The cleaning and other chores can wait a bit.
After finishing taking photos I stayed outside for another moment and sat in the sun enjoying the shimmering snow.
On my way back to the house I took one last shot of the blankets and carpets that my husband had brought outside to air them. “This is a good one. It depicts nature, wellbeing and real life”, I thought to myself with a smile on my face. “Today I was in the right place.”
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” -Pablo Picasso-
I’m posting 360 photos to Saimaalife Facebook almost daily. Here’s one 360 photo that I took on this beautiful winter morning.
