Watch Out for Vultures

Black Vulture 
Keller, TX

 Vulture are scavengers that feed on dead carcasses. They serve a purpose but you typically have to be dead.  America is under siege by political vultures preying on the apathetic who might as well be dead. The few are feeding off of those who are not awake. 

Tariffs and the notion that they will pay for tax cuts for the vultures is an example of this feeding frenzy. The fact is that it increases our debt and detracts from our income. This is not new and had been tried and failed before. 

Let me leave you with a quote from Franklin Delano Roosevelt. "Liberty requires opportunity to make a living- a living which gives a man not only enough to live by, but something to live for. For too many of us the political equality we once had won was meaningless in the face of economic inequality. A small group had concentrated into their own hands an almost complete control over other people's property, other people's money, other people's labor- other people's lives. These economic royalists complain that we seek to overthrow the institutions of America. What they really complain of is that we seek to take away their power. In vain they seek to hide behind the Flag and the Constitution."

Don’t Give Up

Juvenile Black-Crested Titmouse 
Colleyville, TX

 It was a difficult week, an emotional roller coaster. Congress is about to add to our debt burden and the bond market doesn’t buy it. Not much I can do, I have prepared my clients for more volatility. I control what I can control. Photography gives me an opportunity to master what I can control in the solace of nature. 

Well I was about to give up yesterday not one bird was out, perhaps it was the heat or maybe they the had gotten DOGED or gotten a memo. Not one wanted to cooperate or was in sight. I was dejected. I was about to give up and head home. 

This fellow must have sensed my desperation. He suddenly flitted in front of me and went out on a limb. It was not an easy shot, lots of contrast, but it was a chance that I couldn’t pass. It looked like a Tufted Titmouse but it actually was a surprise. It was an Oak Titmouse not even on my list. 

There’s more than a few of us who want to give up. We are tired at times depressed and anxious, but don’t give up, the answer may very well show up when you least expect it. Press on. We are on this journey together. 

What's Your Occupation?

Blooming Mimosa Hold the Champagne
Colleyville, TX

 It's not uncommon for folks meeting for the first time to inquire, "so what do you do for a living?" Besides all the hats I wear on any given day, my list includes: husband, grandfather, financial advisor, friend, counselor, minister, and photographer. If you were to ask what defines me, I would reply, I think.

Although thinking is not a vocation, I would say that for me it is. I process all of the information that I am receiving through all of my senses and I absorb the details. They affect me. Sometimes good and sometime I'm anxious and troubled. In fact, I am troubled by that folks who should know better and were raised in religious homes like me are not bothered to either speak up or do something. In fact, they are reluctant to stand up for me and my rights.

Female Cardinal at Day Spa
Colleyville, TX

As a creative person working in a financial capacity, I notice details, trends, and history. Then I process this information and prepare a baseline strategy in real time. Details are the catalyst to form my strategy and subsequent reactions. At my age, I depend on my experience and judgment to guide me. I've seen this before. I know how to react. I have a voice.

It's time to wake up and think and process all that is happening around us. There's a beautiful world out there and it requires our participation. Many things are happening some good and some quite depressing. You have to be willing to open up your eyes and your senses to fully appreciate what exactly is going on. 

Some folks are ok with accepting things as they are and to let others take on the responsibility. They are voyeurs. I choose to think independently and as free as the birds I photograph or the nature, I experience. We live here. We live now. We must be awake and listen to our conscience. This is my vocation, thinker. I hope I can encourage others to THINK. Think about what you are doing to me (Aretha), think about what you are doing to others, think about your neighbor, think about our future, our environment. Think about that "reconstruction" still even after the Civil War taken hold in some parts of our country, it's not so grand for women, people of color, and the handicapped. Think about how we are impacting the people who have the most financial insecurity. Think about what we are doing to provide tax cuts for the wealthiest at the expense of those who have the least. All of this at whose expense? Think about the American Dream. Tell me what it looks like for you, your children, and grandchildren. Look in the mirror and tell me who you are and are your proud of yourself.

Nature tells me life will go on. And Jesus said to behold nature. So I think...If I'm lucky, perhaps, I've done the same for you. So today, I think. We can change. It's a thinking choice. It's a decision.

Imagine There's No Heaven

Eastern Phoebe
Keller, TX

 For the sake of argument, imagine there is no heaven. How would that impact your behavior? Would you just go wild live like there's no tomorrow, with reckless abandon? Or would you live deliberately and make every moment count knowing there are no second chances? Would you give up or would you choose to act? What changes would you make personally?

Immature Eastern Phoebe
Keller, TX

Let's assume there are no second chances and this is it; your home is earth. Think carefully about the choices left. I choose to assume there possibly might be heaven, but I am agnostic and pragmatic, so I am not going to take any chances. This means, I am going to take care of this earth as much as I can and the people surrounding me. I've made a choice to enjoy every wake moment I have and absorb the last drop of life I have, in case, just what if there's no heaven. I choose to improve my mental health and add balance to my life. You see I live here now, this is my home and I want to make it better not only for me and my family but for those who live here with me. We share this home. While the streets aren't paved with gold there's plenty to absorb and appreciate today.

Nature adds balance to our lives. There's a teaming life out there going on and transacting every day. We need to learn its lessons. Get along and live. While heaven may appeal to many, the idea of living a millennium with intolerant judgemental people and a perpetual HOA doesn't appeal to me. I choose to carve out heaven here and make life here, now, better. I live now in the present. We can do better, if we choose to see this is our home. Make a difference. Say something. Do something. Don't wait. Don't postpone.

Moments

Parque Chipinque,
Monterrey, MX

What makes a movie? It's a series of still frames (images) woven together by time at a credible fixed speed. The content you control from start to finish. If you don't like a particular movie you have the choice to select a different one that has subject matters that you care about. You have a choice. 

Lately, I've not enjoyed the political movies being played in this country. They make me anxious and fearful. We've seen them played before in our history and in Europe; the endings have not been good. I cannot control their historical outcomes. Those movies have already been made.

Bluebird with Pensive Future
Keller, TX

I am one lone person. I didn't choose the cast of the movie being played, but I know it doesn't end well. People I trusted have let me down. People who profess to be Christian should know better. I feel very confused, angry, distraught. Betrayal does that you know. In the interim, I look at the beauty which surrounds me and I am grateful that I am able to see it. Life goes on and I focus my camera lens on the beautiful things I still see and find. It requires effort and focus on my part.

Times are turbulent and chaotic. There's a real lack of empathy and compassion. We are self absorbed and greedy. The movie is not over. The script may very well change. The characters will have to do their part. One thing I know is that most viewers share common hopes and dreams. We should focus on creating a new movie with that theme: the renewal of dreams and hope. We should call it the American Dream. Let's make a new movie together.

On The Trail

 

Mississippi Kite
Colleyville, TX

From my perch like this kite, I see and hear many things good and bad.  I am not afraid to explore and spread my wings. I have to nourish myself and family and that requires effort, even if I don't want to get uncomfortable.

What I see and hear is disturbing. It's not remotely consistent with the lessons learned in church, specifically the Sermon on The Mount. Today, I would like to issue a warning "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

This means we will be held accountable for our inactions. We can't simply ignore what is going on today. Oh how I wish I could, but I can't, I am uncomfortable. My conscience troubles me and it's my compass. When was the last time you questioned yourself? Say something, do something. The times are changing. No time to be silent, no time to be complicit. Be present now.

Some Proverbs I Recall

Hoodoos
Bryce Canyon

 Been thinking again. Are you shocked yet? Two proverbs are in my head this morning: "as man thinks so is he" and "what you reap you shall sew", Old Testament meets new. It's the amplification of the Old Testament.

Perhaps this is the cognitive dissonance that's keeping me awake at night. I am baffled by how people I trust cannot discern the obvious. These two simple statements that I was taught by my parents and reinforce in church are moral lessons about character. Lessons to guide our behavior.

The Hoodoos above reflect years of erosion. Our values are being eroded and our moral judgment impaired. Say something, do something. You know what's right. Follow your conscience. Regardless of your religious convictions or political leanings, we must heed our conscience, the moral compass has a true north. The consequences are that we will reap what we/he has sewn.