When Life Feels Like a Dead End, Hang On and Look for the Light

Sometimes in life it's hard to find the bright side of things.  There are days, weeks and sometimes even months when the drudgeries of everyday life weigh you down and make it difficult to see beyond the to-do list, the job, the kids.  From time-to-time, all of us get sucked into the pit of despair, unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It sometimes feels as if we're permanently stuck in a tsunami drowning in the tide of life.  And sometimes we feel like no one is noticing and for sure, no one is throwing us a life jacket.  Ever been there?  We're in our car but going nowhere.  Sometimes the end of winter feels a little like this. We're sick of snow, sick of the cold, the wind.  We get a brief reprieve when we are blessed with a 50 degree day but just as we're feeling we may have actually been rescued from the tundra, we are faced with the depressing reality that is known as mud....brown, dirty, tracking mud.  Of course, even when the snow melt stops being responsible for the mud, the April showers arrive and remind us that glorious green is not an immediate result of turning a page on the calendar.  This in-between season .... the time after the snow and before the green.... can be challenging for camera buffs.  Challenging, but not totally impossible.  We took a few drives this week and I was reminded that even when our mind is convinced there won't be much reason to celebrate (or photograph), if we give it a chance and a little effort....there's always something to love and be thankful for.

If car's were already self-driven, ours would surely only travel a few routes...and one of those routes would be in the direction of Easton, NY.  Modern conveniences are not required as this co-pilot makes sure her driver takes her to those favorite destinations, sometimes more than once in a given week.  This week, after the snow was melted and before the sprout of green, we found plenty of color to capture and plenty of tranquility to savor.  Windows down, cruising along our favorite roads, the sound of red-winged blackbirds filling the fields....our road trips were medicine for the soul and material for the blog.  Come along as I take you through the countryside of Washington County.

 Although we never need an excuse for a road trip, on this particular day we did have a reason for our direction.  As some of you remember, I put together and sold some Easton coffee table books last fall.  I had one left so I donated it to the Easton Library.  Jennifer DeCarlo, Library Director, made me feel like a celebrity instead of the crazy that rides around stalking barns and back roads.  It seems I've become fairly well known for capturing the beauty of Easton.

The first road trip was on a picture perfect, blue-sky kind of day.  The snow-capped Green Mountains provided the perfect backdrop against the clear sky and dormant crop fields.   That was definitely not the case on the second day when we began our travels in Buskirk hoping to rediscover some of the favorite barns we found in fall (unsuccessfully. Note to self: take notes when riding the back roads).  We may have begun in Buskirk but somehow once again landed in Cambridge and Easton.

 So you see....even during this drab, muddy, in-between white and green season, there is plenty of vibrant color to be found....if we just focus our gaze in the right direction.  Life is a little like that.  We may feel overwhelmed, unable to see the light at the end of the long tunnel, but if we keep the faith and the focus....we'll make it.  Famous basketball coach, John Wooden, said, "Each day is a masterpiece".  I believe he's right....even on our darkest days, we need to pause and look around us...at the people who care, the place we feel at home and in the simple blessings that fill our soul.  I encourage you to remember these photos - especially the dark, cloudy ones.  Remember the vibrant colors that stood out against the darkness and let those colors remind you that you too have something bright in your life to be thankful for, something worth hanging on for, something worth working for.  Even if it's just green in your lawn....be patient.  It will come.  Thanks for stopping by.  I hope today's post brought a little spot of light to your life.  Come back soon for more Life As I See It.
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