Patience re-emerging

[hammerandsaw]

Something I have always been known for is my ability to focus on only one thing for extended periods of time. It is a gift I lost, as a parent. It was difficult to fully relax, knowing that I was essentially on call if any emergency ever arose. I fell away from a lot of my favorite hobbies, including photography. I like to take my time to properly set up a shot, and then fiddle with the results. That was hard to do when I was acutely aware that there was a 30% chance I would be interrupted before getting the payoff of the beautiful shot. I thought I had gotten bad at photography. Turns out, I was just too anxious to do things the way I know how.

That is all over, now. My kids are all adults. The youngest is off at college and THRIVING. He loves talking with us because he is just talking about things he enjoys. Nobody is nagging him about tasks, so he doesn't get defensive. He isn't badgering us to help him with things he can do himself, so we aren't getting irritable. I really like this. And, joyfully, I can finally focus on photography. Here are some of the results I am most happy with. All of them took a minimum of twenty minutes, including finding the right angle, re-adjusting my settings, and waiting for the exact right moment.