Day Five: Every Moment {7 days, 7 photos, 7 stories}

Once I was chastised by a fellow photographer who told me, in no uncertain terms, to slow down. He thought perhaps that I was too quick to be the first one on the scene, that I moved too fast or too furiously to get where I was going. I heard what he said. I really did. But then I promptly decided to mostly disregard his advice. Because the thing is, I'm not moving quickly because I want to be the first one there. I'm moving quickly because I am that excited about getting where I'm going. I'm moving quickly because the undeniable urge to seize every moment is so tightly woven into the fabric of my being that I simply can't turn it off. I am a doer. I am a goer. And I cannot, don't want to, stop.

Within those parameters, though, I am not careless. I don't trample over others to get where I'm going. I don't risk the safety of anyone (other than myself occasionally) to achieve my end. And that, I think, is the difference.

This photo above is a result of the winning combination of being in the right place at the right time and of seizing the opportunity to move quickly into a situation that was perhaps a little dangerous. It was taken in Santa Barbara, CA at the old mission there during the Jesusita fires two years ago. I was aided by two lovely people who were willing to drive me into the fire, literally, when everyone else was driving away. And for this moment in time I felt very much like a war photojournalist might feel - completely abandoning any thought of personal safety to capture an epic moment.

So, yes, I tend to leap before I look. Yes, I sometimes head towards the fire when I should be walking away. And, yes, it has the potential to get me in trouble (ask me about the time I was almost arrested for trespassing and why I don't do it anymore) : ) But this character definition is clearly that - a definition. This is what makes me who I am. This drive to always move and see and do is what has helped me find my voice. My life is about seizing every moment - stepping up to it, assessing it, meeting the challenge and swallowing it whole. Living with intention. Walking to the edge. And taking a flying leap into the unknown, somehow trusting that I will fall gently.

However.

I have also been learning the art of slowing down. A little. God has a way of putting people in my life who have a strong enough presence and influence to urge me to pause, not because they think I am moving too fast, but because they recognize, as I am learning to, that the process of getting there is an enjoyable journey, and that arriving, while amazing, is maybe not what it's always about. And as I move towards finding balance, I can't say thank you enough to those willing to steady me along the way.