Shutter Sisters

How Do You Measure A Day?

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Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Moments so Dear
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure – Measure A Year?
In Daylights – In Sunsets
In Midnights – In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches – In Miles
In Laughter – In Strife

How About Love?

 from RENT (the musical)

 

I have always loved the intro to this song. I have been humming today as I tried to think of what I might do to measure my day today. It seems that today, the twelfth day, of the twelfth month of the year two thousand and twelve, we are being given many invitations and opportunities to mark the significance of this date in our own personal histories. People are documenting their days at 12.12.12. It’s interesting because it is just one day…just one day that will never happen again. And so goes our lives right? A collection of days that will not ever happen again. I started thinking how I could mark the date for myself, what will place on the “date”?One friend has chosen to step into a lifelong commitment with her partner. It’s thrilling for them to know that the significance of this day will be historical.

What about the rest of us? What about those of us that will not be touched in such a way that seems important? We will wake up, make tea, drink tea, brush our teeth, shower, put our hair in a braid, a little lip gloss, a cozy t-shirt, a warm sweater, some slacks and off we go… What could be our measure today, how can we create an opportunity to honor ourselves in a way today that is significant, not for any other reason but that TODAY is a date that will not be repeated. I have decided to check in with myself at twelve minutes past the hour, every hour. Yes, it’s true, I’ve set my phone alarm to twelve minutes past the hour for every hour that I anticipate being awake. At that time I will stop, take a photo of myself and ask myself ” in this moment, how do I feel, am I to being loving and kind to myself; do I feel anything in my body that feels tense or uncomfortable”. I am going to attempt to measure my day in love. How loving can I be to me? This will be a good exercise for me to consider how much time I spend not in the flow of self-love. I will use this day to observe and learn and step into active choice of measuring my own story, my own way.

What about you? How will you measure your day today?

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Step into softness

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I snapped this photo while traveling in Haiti. When I look at it, I am reminded of how, in that soft moment, I felt far away and peaceful from the challenge and chaos happening around me. Photographs are so key in helping us transcend our present circumstances. Sometimes even just a quick glance through my photo album  on my iPhone or an old Polaroid pinned up in my creative space can quiet the “to do” lists swirling around in my head. These days, I am more committed to calm than chaos. My spirit needs tending and any tools that will support my serenity are welcome.  

As the holidays and all that goes with them approach (cooking, and gathering and traveling, and shopping and baking and entertaining and wrapping and…), it will serve me well to hold sacred a place to step into softness. A gentle photo that can take me back to a moment when I felt ease and calm. In this way, photography is a gift to myself and my peace of mind. I’ll be strategically placing photos in places where I can be reminded that my life is made up of many, many moments of softness. 

I invite you to puruse your collection of images or snap some new images that you can place in your line of vision when the going gets rough. Won’t you share your soft shot with us?