Days 4 and 5

Day 4 threw me for a loop so I'm combining days 4 and 5 into one post. The topic of day 4 was "You hold the key" and we were instructed to find our one magic remedy that no matter what, gives us the perspective that we need. Because this month is about enjoying ourselves and not letting the craze out there get the best of us, we were to use day 4 to remind ourselves of what helps us to slow down, take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.

The topic itself was simple for me. Running. I seriously love to run. I really do. For me there is nothing more peaceful and relaxing  then putting on my shoes and going out for a run. Long or short...it doesn't matter.  I love the time to myself and the ability to clear my mind.

The challenge with day 4 came with capturing the topic the way I wanted to. I had this idea to photograph my running shoes in the background with a key in the foreground. I wanted the key to be in focus in and the shoes to be blurred. I could NOT get the shot to turn out the way I wanted. I tried what felt like a million different settings and angles, and none of them looked the way I had imagined in my mind.

In then end, I ditched the key and just shot the shoe. I'm still not happy about the final product, which is frustrating considering this was the first day that I had no trouble figuring out what I wanted my subject to be.

Day 5, "The View from Here." We were instructed to take a few moments to enjoy the view. Take stock at what beauty Mother Nature had dished up today.

Currently the weather outside is freezing, but without the beautiful snow. The mornings have been foggy, and the evenings cold and dark. There is a lovely cherry blossom tree across the street from me, but of course it's branches are currently void of any leaves or blossoms. All the gorgeous fall leaves have made their way off of the trees and are turning into mush on the lawn. In fact, not much is beautiful around my house this time of year.

And then I looked out and found these stray pansies blooming in my flower bed. Even with the freezing temperatures, these little guys still seem to find their way. I thought they deserved a photo today.