Keeping cool . . .

Sometimes I like to consider peaceful things.  I like to remember places I've been, things I've seen.

(A long time ago) when I did a lot of SCUBA diving I would work hard to be conscious of what I felt.  I would move along in the water - flying, really - and carefully file away the scenery.

I wanted to remember that what I was seeing in the ocean, the peaceful and dreamy ecosystem, was happening all of the time.  I wanted to be able to bring those 'pictures' to my mind's eye whenever I needed calm.

When I'm having a stressful day or feeling overwhelmed, it works for me.  (Well, not all of the time, but I won't talk about that in the blog.)

If things in reality get TOO REAL, it helps me to stop and think about peaceful settings, places where I've known God's presence, where I've heard such calm, such quiet.

The colorful lands under the sea are just that - the beings there are moving effortlessly through coral and the sea fans are waving slowly with the currents.  I might be worried about the next hour or the traffic or the next shoot, but under the water's surface the same quiet still exists.

I like to look at these photos I took years ago.  I like to remember, to consider all of that happening still, right now.

 

I hope you enjoy.  Maybe you need to remember something quiet, too.

What helps you remember calmness?

List 18 - My Dream Jobs

Okay, friends, it's time for the Friday list.  Let's pretend today.  (Or, as I said as a child, 'Let's ten-like.')  [Or, as my sister said as a child, 'Let's benten.']  Call it what you will, it's time to undertake a bit of make-believe.

Let's imagine that there are no barriers, money is no object, no training or education is needed.  What would you do, even if just for a day?  What would you like to try?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I'll go first.

When I grow up, I want to be:

1. One of the people who looks awesome in a wet suit and trains the dolphins.  I'd be the one who rides the dolphins and gets thrown, flying into the air, arching into a magnificent swan dive and entering the water gracefully to swim with my dolphin friends over to hand-feed them (I'm the only one who can feed them - they like me best).
2. Aretha Franklin.  
3. A safari guide/driver in the Serengeti.  My old Toyota Land Cruiser has been on the job for a long time and is weathered in that cool way - folks can stand up on their seats to look up and out of the open top and get a better view of the animals.  I'm a specialist at big animal location and the other drivers often search for me to find the best areas.  
4. A SCUBA diver for National Geographic, responsible for all special coral reef exploration, all over the world.  My underlings search out and find the best dive spots on the earth, and I am the first to dive their pristine waters and uncharted areas.  
5. A Mexican cliff diver.
6. Annie Leibovitz.
7. The top chick on the world's best roller derby team.  
8. The host of a super cool travel show on tv.  My people scope out unknown travel spots, which I am flown to.  I am wined and dined by the locals and stay in the best suite.  I'm daring, so sometimes I am in quiet corners where no Americans have been.  My experiences are varied, affording me amazing adventures that are fun to talk about with my tv viewers.
9. A stunt pilot whose plane is uncrashable.
10. An artist, author, anthropologist combination who lives in a historic beamed cabin on the top of a mountain in the forest, surrounded by amazing views, artistic pieces, fine wine and fabulous friends.  

Ahhhhhhh.  That was fun.  Try it!  Put your career options in the comments section of the blog - I want you all to meet each other!  

Loosen up, friends, and ten-like you can do anything!  Go for it!