I don’t usually make a big deal out of my birthday. Well, one of them I did … my 30th. Somehow I managed to celebrate for two weeks. (Please don’t ask me any questions about it because I’ll take the 5th) Ha!
But this year on this day, I’ll be celebrating by the Pacific Ocean, taking my Mom’s cremains to the sea. I celebrate her today so it IS a big deal.
She brought me into this world and taught me how to live in it. I am forever grateful, Mom.
Be good to yourself and each other. Namaste’
Now that I’m out of my food coma from Thanksgiving, I just want to say how grateful I am to my family, friends and fellow bloggers for their continued support of me and my journey.
Life is a dance and it doesn’t matter whether you tap, waltz, hip-hop, swing, or any other kind – we’re all in this together, so just dance!
I hope all the folks here in America had a joyous, peaceful and loving Thanksgiving. Namaste’
Back in the 70’s, my Uncle encouraged me to buy an SLR film camera. With his help, I purchased a Pentax K1000. Wow! It was slick (at that time) but I didn’t know jack squat about that kind of camera. It was completely manual; no automatic settings at all. I was used to using a Fuji point and shoot 🙂
Well … long story short, he took me under his wing and taught me about focus, depth of field, shutter speed, natural light, bounce flash, and composition. Pretty much everything I needed to know. He had been a photo journalist for the Omaha World Herald newspaper and I really enjoyed looking through his collection of articles and images.
Soon after I got that camera, we went on a trip to Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA. We had such a good time, taking pictures all over the place, including sitting on the beach at sunset, capturing images of waves crashing on the rocks. Between the two of us, I think we shot 25 or 30 rolls of film.
He taught me so much and I’ll miss him and his encouragement. He passed away a few days ago. He was 86 and lived a great life, but losing him leaves another hole in my heart. My consolation is knowing that he’s now with my Mom, his big sister. They we so close. Now they are again.
R.I.P.
Be good to yourself and each other. Namaste’
The Daily Post prompt today posed a question about how we will stay young at heart and our thoughts on aging. In answer to those questions, here’s my take on aging: I’m as young as I feel. True. Some days I feel younger than I am in human years. My soul is ageless; eternal. For that I’m so grateful. Can we fight the aging process? Sure. There are face lifts, tummy tucks, eyelid lifts, etc. Have I done any of those? No. And I won’t. But I will still color my hair and get my nails done. I might even get a tattoo (on my bucket list). My physical body is aging. That’s OK. It’s a natural process. As long as I feel healthy (and I thank God every day that I am), I will embrace the aging process.
As for staying young at heart, well, instead of words, here’s me “stirring the pot,” being silly and having fun. Adventures like this keep me young at heart … Thanks, Patty! (Inside joke).
Be good to yourself and each other. Namaste’
Giving thanks is a full time gig now. People around this beautiful blue orb that we inhabit are getting it … that we’re all in this together and we will not be undone by anyone or anything who spreads fear. (Unless of course you’re watching the mainstream media). I believe that watching the cable news outlets, even the local news, is like volunteering for brainwashing.
But back to giving thanks, in the U.S. we celebrate Thanksgiving each year as a time to be grateful for all of our blessings. To spend time with family and friends. Even our crazy relatives – ha! Let’s face it; every family has some.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends here in the states. God bless us all and God bless all of my friends from other countries in my community of bloggers.
Be good to yourself and each other. Namaste’
A famous rock … no, not Alcatraz. That’s called the Rock, too, but this one is much more beautiful. It’s called Haystack, found not far out to sea from Pacific City.
The little girl gazing at it really gave me pause. I found myself looking at her and pretending to be my younger self.  My younger self would be thinking how huge it is. My older self is thinking how grateful I am to be alive to see this wonder of nature.
With age comes wisdom, I guess. Namaste’
Regina (Reggie) Arnold is a “flunked retirement” entrepreneur, co-author of The Art & Science of Recruiting, an award-winning photographic artist, and photo blogger
Lately I haven’t had the time to catch up with all of you, my faithful readers and fellow bloggers. With the passing of my friend last Friday, I feel like I’ve been pulled through a knot-hole backwards. With that said, please know that I really value your friendships even though, in most cases, we’ve never met face-to-face.
When I started this blog, I had no idea that it would take me to places within and without. As the old saying goes “if you don’t go within, you go without.” Following your blog posts has allowed me to look within myself and that makes me a better contributor and a better person. You have made me a better photographer, too, but I still have a long way to go with that 🙂 I’ll keep going with it because I love it.
If you’re anything like me, you really enjoy blogging. It opens up new worlds for us that we might have never known. The friends I’ve made in the blogosphere, from Hawaii to Turkey to Holland, the UK and South Africa, as well as here in the U.S. have opened my eyes and affirmed that we are all linked together. You are all such good people with loving hearts. I cheer for you when I read that cool things happen and I empathize with you about the not-so-good stuff. And I know, really know that you feel the same for me. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. You’re the best! Namaste’
Regina (Reggie) Arnold is a “flunked retirement” entrepreneur, co-author of The Art & Science of Recruiting, an award-winning photographic artist, and photo blogger
I’m ending this black and white challenge with an image I took at Alcatraz. When I look at this, I think of all the inmates who spent their lives there and many died there. I thank God that I never made choices that would put me in a place like this. Can you imagine looking out at the city of San Francisco and the Bay and not being able to enjoy it? Namaste’
Regina (Reggie) Arnold is a “flunked retirement” entrepreneur, co-author of The Art & Science of Recruiting, an award-winning photographic artist, and photo blogger
Our friend, Linda, went home today. Home with God. You can see how beautiful she was HERE. She was beautiful on the inside, too. Sometimes wildly funny, always a good sport, and always caring for others. I’m grateful for her presence and what she added to my life.
We all knew she was going to go, but leave it to Linda to be cooking dinner for her family just last night and then checking out this morning. Even though you know someone has a terminal illness, you just don’t know how bad it’s going to hurt until they’re actually gone. Â Well, it hurts.
This photo is one I took many moons ago in Tucson. Â Not the one I had planned for today, but it showed up and made me think of Linda … flag at half mast and the big hole in the cloud. Â I’m smiling because I just pictured her scooting through that cloud, looking back at us with a grin on her face saying, “See ‘ya on the other side.”
Namaste’
Regina (Reggie) Arnold is a “flunked retirement” entrepreneur, co-author of The Art & Science of Recruiting, an award-winning photographic artist, and photo blogger
I found this picture of my Uncle and me taken back in 1996. It’s a bit grainy because I had to scan it. We were at a family gathering at my Mom’s house. I remember that day. We had a lot of fun and I’m pretty sure it was my brother who took this photo. I wish he was still with us.
My Uncle is the person responsible for me knowing what I do about light, composition and using flash, particularly a bounce flash when needed. So thanks once again, dear Uncle. You’re the best! Namaste’
Regina (Gina) Arnold is the author of Uncomplicated Ways to Find Your Financial Freedom, a “flunked retirement” entrepreneur, co-author of The Art & Science of Recruiting, an award-winning photographic artist, and photo blogger.
Eyes to See 