“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”
What life experiences make you feel the rapture of being alive?
The Oxford Dictionary defines rapture as a feeling of intense pleasure or joy.
When the Chicago White Sox won the World Series in 2005, and my son and grandson were together watching it on television, I have to say we felt tremendous joy, even rapture!
When I’m listening to rock’n’roll music coming into my head from my earphones and I’m moving my body to the beat of AC/DC during my morning workouts at the gym, my life experience on the purely physical plane resonates with my own innermost being and reality…and I feel the rapture of being alive!
When I hear a good stand-up comedian on a roll, when I can create and speak a situational comedy joke during a tense life situation that brings the laughter and joy to my current group … I feel the rapture of being alive!
And let’s not forget the pleasure of FOOD! Sausage and mushroom pizza! I can fill the page with my favorite foods, and you probably can too! These are all life experiences on the purely physical plane. When I am tasting delicious food … I feel the rapture of being alive!
When I am in intimate connection with someone I love, especially my beloved wife Marti Beddoe, I feel the rapture of being alive.
“We must risk delight.We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world. “
— Jack Gilbert
I aspire to amplify my attention and accept my gladness. I will seek those experiences of being alive that physically resonate with my own innermost being and reality.
Doing all this with gratitude for being human and alive.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Chicago, IL, February 18, 2012
I share my photographs, not for my glory, but to arouse in you the feelings of Joy, Awe, and Gratitude for the miraculous planet we inhabit. To showcase the visuals, this post puts philosophical musings about my life in the background and instead presents a Happiness Tour through 15 of my favorite works.
Enjoy Your Joy!
And if this seems a touch too much, there’s a video at the bottom to help you re-energize for the tour! Take the whole tour and let me know what you feel!
Water Color
“Water Color”, Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, OR, June 28, 2010
My wife Marti made me take this picture. I was
sleep-deprived, discouraged, and defeated by the cloud cover of the previous 36
hours. I reallydeserved a nap. “If you take a nap now, you’ll miss what you came
here for, honey.” God bless her!
Warm Creek Gold
Warm Creek Gold, Lake Powell, UT, August 15, 2011
My Cub Scout uniform had colors of blue and gold. In scouting I learned to love the freedom and beauty of the outdoors. Now in this age of digital photography, I get outdoors early for serenity, solitude, and to capture some stunning sunlit beauty.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Chicago, IL, February 18, 2012
Architect Frank
Gehry’s design glows under colored lights and a trellis supporting speakers
over the Great Lawn – a giant shiny ornament, a surprising sight during a Chicago
February, while nature sleeps in the cold and dark, preparing for Spring.
Majesty Doubled
Majesty Doubled, Owen’s Valley, near Bishop, CA, October 29, 2013
I usually look up to see mountains. Looking down and seeing them mirrored at my feet took my breath away. You can learn more about this location in my post Majesty Doubled.
Tufa Transition
Tufa Transition, Mono Lake, Lee Vining, CA, October 30, 2013
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Reinhold Niebuhr
Chicago Riverwalk
Chicago Riverwalk, Chicago, IL, June 26, 2015
Many architectural details adorn the Chicago Riverwalk. A soaking rain lets their surfaces gleam and sparkle under an electric rainbow. Reflections dance on the water to amplify the gaiety. (Bring a tripod, a poncho or umbrella, and a friend!)
LaSalle Street Lights
LaSalle Street Lights, Chicago, IL, June 26, 2015
The city at night needs neither sun nor clouds – it makes its own light. These unlit streetlights form a parade of silhouetted posts, marching to the golden grain face of the Chicago Board of Trade Building. A little rain is the frosting on this golden cake!
A Band of Light
A Band of Light, East Beckwith Mountain, Crested Butte, CO, September 30, 2015
Our timing was perfect – the yellowest aspens I had ever seen! And the clouds were a photographer’s best friend, letting a little sliver of sunshine through. The beavers were still sleeping and missed this sight.
Aspen Stepping Stones, Maroon Bells, Snowmass, CO, October 1, 2015
I love capturing
mountains and fall color reflected in water.
This string of stones was a welcoming path into nature’s Fall Fantasy
Land!
Mossy Little River
Mossy Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN, October 27, 2015
The presence of Moss means there is no direct sunlight. But the golden reflected sunlight bouncing from a canyon wall signaled me to trek down the side of this riverbank to capture the glow seen by these mossy rocks.
Little River Light
Little River Light, Great Smoky Mountains NP, October 30, 2015
“It’s all about the light!” AND the shapes AND the colors AND the perspective AND the time of year AND getting out of bed AND … the eyes and persistence to see what I might have driven past!
Beaver Marsh Dawn
Beaver Marsh Dawn, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH,
This calm scene was truly worth getting up early for! Hints of color of the sunrise to come, a lone twiggy tree stretching across the surface of the beaver pond to meet the lily pads, the fog creeping along in the horizon – all combine here to calm my frenzied urge to get the shot!
Saturday Night Pacific
Saturday Night Pacific, Cape Perpetua, Yachats, OR
On this Oregon Coast trip, 55 MPH winds and rain kept me in my car photographing seagulls who had hunkered down in the grass. But waiting long enough, the day comes when the seagulls fly, the light is perfect, and all the scenes are above average.
Wabash Avenue Magic
Wabash Avenue Magic, Wabash Avenue Bridge, Chicago, IL, September 13, 2018
I once visited Disneyland and was awed by the Parade of Lights – magical floats covered in thousands of tiny lights. Now, seeing the City at Night, I light up with an even bigger Magical Feeling than that 27-year-old father felt back then.
Under the Bridge R&B
Under the Bridge R&B, State Street Bridge, Chicago, IL October 30, 2013
I played with Red and Blue for this image. The bridge and I were both born in the same year—1949. Google does not know how many rivets it holds, nor do we know how many breaths are left for each of us to enjoy it. Both matter – for now!
This may boost your energy if you feel this post is a touch too much!
History is the humbling story of our misbegotten inflations. Truth is the corrective story of how we return to exactly who we are. Compassion is a never-ending story of how we embrace each other and forgive ourselves for not accepting our beautifully particular place in the fabric of all there is.”
~~Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening, entry for January 10th titled, “Akiba”.
As a child, I wanted to be many things.
Comedian, magician, ventriloquist, priest, rock & roll singer, guitarist, and artist with crayons or oil paints.
After my father passed when I was age 11, I believed I had to find a career that would help me create a reliable income stream. That led me to believe the dreams of my childhood were foolish, that I was not good enough at any of those things to make a living. All my childhood stuff of “artsiness” faded into a distant memory that I declared was not me.
Instead, I went to college and chose a career to create things of certainty — mathematics, structural engineering, computer programming, and the building of structures for databases and websites. Putting together these puzzles, I served the needs of companies that have hefty balance sheets. My working life created an income stream to build and support my family 3 precious children.
But when I turned 60, an age 1 year older than the age my father passed, I realized the Universe was giving me more years than he had. And what would or could I do with those years?
My Comparing and Competing instincts flared up when I happened to see a photo online of Lake Louise that was taken by my former boss. My thought was “If he can take a photo that good, so can I, and even better!” It pushed me to get a digital camera, and over the next 14 years I made about 46 trips to photograph the many beautiful natural (and structural) national parks and cities.
Now that I am retired, I have even more time to be “Exactly Who I Am.” Without worrying about money. Without comparing myself to others. To be completely who I am. I use my gifts in photography, humor, and web-building (structure) to share what I can now see is abundant in me.
May beauty bring you awe, humor bring you joy, and structure bring you peace.
In compassion, I embrace my gifts and forgive myself for the times of not accepting my beautifully particular place in the fabric of all there is.
Saturday Night Pacific, Cape Perpetua, Yachats, OR
“Blackmail is only possible if we believe we have something to hide. Worthless feelings arise when we believe, however briefly, that who we are is not enough.”
~~ Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening, page for January 5th titled, Show Your Hair
Here are some things I used to believe about myself that I wanted to hide:
My height is not good enough. (In the United States, the average male is about 5 feet 9 inches tall. I am 5 feet 4 inches.)
My hearing ability is not good enough. (My left ear is 80% deaf from a virus attack.)
My gregariousness is not good enough. (One of my brothers used to say, “Harry, you’re too serious.”)
There’s more, but you get the idea.
These beliefs cause worthless feelings to arise in me if I think they are true.
And I now declare I no longer believe these things, because they aren’t true.
My height IS good enough. I can see above the dashboard of my car. Also, I’m spared the pain of bumping my head in low doorways.
My hearing ability IS good enough. I can hear well enough with hearing aids. But the real barriers to not hearing what someone is saying are beyond my control. Noisy restaurants. Everyone talking at once. Mumbling at low volume.
My gregariousness IS good enough. My brain is always busy thinking of friendly, funny things to say in various situations. I’m a Situational Comedian!
The fact is who I am is enough!
Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Canadian Rockies
Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Canadian Rockies
Well, Hi there! It’s ME! I am HERE!
Yes, it has been a while since my last post in April 2023.
Every year, I declare I am setting a new habit of sending out a post per week. But my posting average over 9 years—that’s since 2015 when I retired and should have had loads of time for this—has been one post every 24 months.
I see now that this is because my inner critic’s voice was busy twisting my beliefs and telling me, “Harry! You don’t believe in competition in art! Furthermore, you haven’t been traveling to any mountains lately! Are your photographs even good enough for anyone to want to see?”
So, what is motivating me now to get back in the saddle again and send posts of my writing and photographs? It is not competition. It is expressing my gift of seeing and sharing the beauty that I capture from the world.
This excerpt from Mark Nepo’s “The Book of Awakening”, passage for December 31, opened my eyes to see my inner critic was full of sh*t!
Isn’t art in all its forms the beautiful trail of our all-too-human attempts to say, again and again, I Am Here. … As far back as we can remember, people of the oldest tribes, unencumbered by civilization, have been rejoicing in being on earth together. Not only can we do this for each other, it is essential. For as stars need open space to be seen, as waves need shore to crest, as dew needs grass to soak into, our vitality depends on how we exclaim and rejoice, “I See You!” “I Am Here!”
Look for me to be here again next Friday, and I’ll look for your comments so “I Can See You!”
