Let’s be honest, every one of us would love to have one moment to stand out from the throngs of people vying for a remarkable moment of their own. A moment when we break through the noise and bask in our greatness as bouquets of roses land at our feet. The greatness we always knew was there, but others have not had the opportunity to experience.

In a world where being uber-famous is celebrated and instant gratification dominates our pleasure center, we quickly become discouraged when the time for our close-up appears to be out of reach. So, we give up.

We give up and yet everyday we have small moments of greatness that we toss aside because we feel the stage is too small or our level of gratification is not reached.

Create small moments where you stand out among the people who really matter. Several small moments of greatness often lead to bigger moments, which lead to larger moments. Before you know it you’ll have your bigly moment.

Everyday is filled with opportunities for a close-up. Be ready for yours.

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From the time we born we are conditioned to do what’s right. We often forget being wrong can sometimes lead us in a new direction or help us understand what we are searching for.

Every two weeks I grab a camera and make the walk to our mailbox which is 2km from our cottage. That’s a little over a mile for my US friends. I know what you’re thinking—why the hell is your mailbox so far away? If you really want to know, read this article.

The walk gives me time to think and absorb the world around me. It’s a time for me to play around with camera settings while searching for mundane subjects to photograph. I have no expectations, I just shoot.

During my last walk, I blindly changed some of my camera settings to see what would happen. Once I saw the first image I was pleasantly surprised. The settings on my camera were all wrong according to the rules of photography and yet, I find the images very pleasing.

Why are we afraid of being wrong? Who determines what is right? What may be considered wrong for one person, may be the norm for another.

Being wrong helps us interpret what we don’t understand.

Go forth and be wrong.

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I don’t know anyone who hates Autumn. For most of us who live in the north, it’s our favorite time of year. There is a sense of change in the crisp cool air as the leaves on the trees change color. I like to think they’re giving us something to etch in our memory as we prepare for the monochromatic bone chilling months of winter. Y’know something to reflect back on when old man winter bitch slaps us.

Colors starting to change in Village de Val-David Quebec.

Autumn is the time for reflection. A time to harvest. A time to slow down and look back on what we’ve accomplished as we prepare for the new year.

Think of it as moulting season. A time to shed the past and embrace what’s to come.

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In the ever growing perfect world projected via social media, I find myself increasingly fascinated with the mundane. In the land of influencers pushing a perfect and unattainable lifestyle for most people, I ache for bland.

I find myself growing bored with the portrayal of a perfect life. What was once something to strive for, has become banal. What was once banal, is something to strive for. 

There is elegance everywhere. What some may consider hideous, I find beautiful. What some consider commonplace, I find interesting. When you pull back the curtain and there is nothing left to hide behind, the drab becomes magnificent. 

The endless projection of perfection is the manifestation of a life not being lived. Showing the chink in one's armor is evidence of a life being lived.  

Embrace the abnormal. Look for the drab. Live.  

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