It’s Friday, and nothing says “time to relax” quite like watching the sunrise with a seagull.
Friday, September 4, 2014 (Day 247)
Know when to walk away.
Upon waking up this morning, I saw that it was going to be hazy again, as it has been all week. That was a bit disappointing to see, and I was trying to think of a way to avoid photographing the sun in a hazy orange sky yet again. I decided to head out a bit earlier to see if I could catch some early color. It worked. I only took a handful of quick shots from this location. Then I looked at my watch and saw it was at least 30 minutes earlier than my shots from the past few days, and I knew there would be some good shots to be had in a little while as the sun broke the horizon. But I walked away. I was happy with the photo you see here, so I decided to go home and savor my extra free time for today.
There are two types of people: maximizers and satisficers. Maximizers try to get everything perfect, and they take a long time to do things because they wait for better opportunities for fear of missing out. Satisficers move quickly because they only wait for an option that meets all their criteria and move on without caring if there is something better because they are satisfied. I’ve always been a huge maximizer, but this project has taught me to be more of a satisficer. And by the way, guess which people live longer? That’s right–satisficers.
Thursday, September 3, 2015 (Day 246)
The hazy orange sky was a bit of a challenge today. The sky has looked pretty much the same for the past few mornings. I was feeling discouraged this morning as I struggled to find an interesting way to experience and depict this morning’s sunrise. Nothing seemed to look right, and as a result I held back from shooting for quite a while. Eventually I decided to just start shooting, figuring that eventually something would emerge. I walked around shooting as much as I could, and eventually I found my scene. It was my final photo of the morning.
When you’re faced with a less than ideal situation, sometimes just simply pushing forward and forcing yourself to go through the motions will help you eventually get to a better than expected outcome. Woody Allen once said, “80 percent of success is just showing up”. So don’t hesitate. Show up.
Monday, August 10, 2015 (Day 222)
It’s hard not to look forward to a day that starts like this.
A lot of people dread Monday mornings. That used to be me. Now that I get up the same time every morning, it doesn’t bother me. And actually it’s nice to see all the familiar faces return. There are barely any people out on weekend mornings when I am out. There is a certain peacefulness about that, but it is always nice to see everyone again come Monday. There still aren’t a ton of people (after all, it’s really early), but I see a lot of familiar faces. A lot of people recognize me, either because they know about my website or just because they have become accustomed to seeing me every day, so I get a lot of nods and smiles and some people say hello or even strike up conversation. It’s a certain feeling of camaraderie, that we are all out there together in the early morning, sharing the same experience, day after day. I’m impressed that these people are out there by their own will as part of their own daily routine, and I often wonder how they got themselves into it, especially after knowing how difficult the transition was for me.
Friday, August 7, 2015 (Day 219)
There are two sides to everything. Yin and yang. One cannot exist without the other. One is not necessarily good while the other is not necessarily bad. Everything just is what it is. Everything is in balance. Learn to accept the balance objectively without labeling, without judgement, and without despair. Everything is exactly the way it needs to be.