sit with me

Come sit with me and share your story

I want to hear about what moves you

What makes you laugh

And what evokes that emotion in you that bring tears

Tell me your dreams

I will hold them safely in my heart

Share with me even the largest ones that you think may never happen

Together we can speculate on what it will be like when it comes true

If you are feeling brave

Share with me what scares you

I will hold your hand

And listen with compassion

We are all afraid of something

I will be there for you when you need me

Sit besides me and share with me your funniest tale

The one that makes your stomache muscles ache from laughing

Together we can relive that moment

Giggling long into the night

Life is better when you can sit and share the moments with each other

Come sit with me together we will remember

life

Embrace the beauty that surrounds you

By choosing to do this your heart will fill up with gratitude

Laugh during the moments you feel you cannot take another step

Simplify the chaos that keeps you from your passions

By doing so you will begin to bloom in unexpecting ways

Never stop wishing on stars

And realize that you hold the power to change what you are unhappy with

smile report

what made me smile

Jennifer:  "I have been wanting to get a shot of icicles all winter but there were never any close enough for me to get a good photograph.  I have contemplated walking up to some strangers house and start snapping away but figured that was not the best idea.  Coming home from work today, on my outside railing, there they were just waiting for me.  That made me smile."

what made Paul smile

Paul:

  "I'm back home now and rested up after sleeping most of the day after getting home at about 6:30 a.m.  "Happy" to take a time exposure at JFK of one of it's notable buildings.  It was a 15 sec shot."  

What has you smiling today?

stepping forward

We always start where we are

And we have a destination in mind of where we want to go

But we never know where we will end up

Or how we will get there

We have to just continue putting one foot in front of the other

Trusting ourselves

Listening to our heart

And learning along the way

smile report

I pitched an idea to my friend

Paul

about doing some kind of photography project together.  He was willing to play along even though I was very vague about what it would be.  I had some ideas rolling around in my head but nothing I was able to articulate.  All I knew is it would involve both of us taking photographs.

The first assignment was simple.  Photograph something that makes you smile. So we both went out and did just that.  His first email contained his photo and a description of why he took it and what it was that made him smile.  Throughout the week more smile reports arrived in my email box.  Each time I received a smile report from Paul, I smiled myself.

The wheels inside my head began to turn with each "smile report" I received.  What if instead of changing the topic weekly we kept it the same ~ photographing something that made us smile.  Showing how two people, with two totally differently lives, living in different areas are stopping to appreciate that unexpected moment that made us smile.

I shared the idea with Paul and he was up for it, which made me smile.  So this little idea of mine seemed to find its form and has shaped up to be the "smile report" ~ a random dose of moments caught on film that made each of us smile.

Here is the first installment of the smile report in our own words:

                             what made me smile                                                                         what made Paul smile

Jennifer:  "Painting is fun for me.  A way to just let get and allow the brush to do the talking.  On Saturday I pulled out my paints, covered my table in newspaper, and began. This moment brought a smile to my face."

Paul:  "It's discovering a photo I didn't know existed until I came upon it.  The goose at the frozen pond at JFK airport.  I'd just gotten off the subway A train and I wondered if anything was happening on the pond and lo and behold there was the lone bird seeking a small opening in the surface.  It made me happy."

** What has made you smile today? **

upside down

You look at the world and only see what is in front of you

Keeping your eyes glued to what can fit into the box you hold

You do not think that anything is possible

You limit your dreams

You only believe in what you see

You stick with what you know

You stay where it is safe

You say that I am living dangerously

Jumping off a cliff blindfolded

You say that I not only look outside the box

But I see a box that is not even there

And when you spoke those word it was not a compliment

But that is not how my ears heard it

You think it is silly for me to dream up wild ideas

To believe that I can achieve anything

You do not understand why I can look at life so positively

You are waiting for me to make the leap

Before you even begin to dream

You think I am crazy for risking my heart

Putting myself out there

Walking the fine line between devastation and elation

You do not understand why I do it

You stand before this world and only receive what you are given

You do not go out and seek what can be found

You keep puttering along

Content, but not happy

You sit on the sidelines watching me dream big

And even though you think me a fool

I will continue to walk down this dangerous path

To feel life with my whole heart

And open up my soul to the world

I will continue to  submerge myself in what moves me

Laugh out loud

And dream what you consider to be the impossible dream

** this moment in time brought my life theme song

(Upside Down ~ Jack Johnson)

back to the front of my mind. Do you have a theme song for your life?