41 Days of Appreciating Rampages – Page 5

I Appreciate This Present Moment – Day 2

In The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle writes, “It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.” I truly appreciate that I understand this power of now: the empowerment that comes with knowing that I can choose to spend my life rehashing the past or concerning myself about what could be – either way, I am doing so in a moment of NOW. Whether we are thinking about the past, present or future, we are doing it NOW. That truly is all there is. And as I write this, I realize that with each letter I type, it’s no longer “now.” 🙂

I appreciate now. Just NOW. This present moment. That is all there is.

I appreciate that I know the power of this present moment. I appreciate knowing that I can make each moment meaningful. I can make each moment count. I appreciate knowing that when life feels like it’s rolling too fast, I can center myself back to the NOW. I appreciate the present moment to slow down, take a breath and feel the NOW. I appreciate the meditative vibration of NOW, the prayers of NOW, the smiles of NOW, the observation of NOW, the joys of NOW, and the unwanted contrast of NOW. I appreciate that by focusing on now, I can move myself into a state of acceptance and observation and find appreciation- no matter what is happening. I appreciate the blessings for myself and others when I am fully present in this moment of now.

Right here, right NOW. I appreciate this moment of serenity as I write this rampage of appreciation for each moment of now that I’m experiencing. I appreciate this moment of now- as you read this appreciation rampage. I appreciate you for being here. I appreciate this present moment. NOW is all there is.

Appreciating Photography Tools – Day 1

I am finally back to blogging, after almost 8 months away! I appreciate the experiences and people and places I’ve seen in these past months and right now I’m really appreciating getting back to some of my regular routine habits. This blog is all about appreciation and gratitude and while I haven’t been posting much, I do appreciate everyday. In the past few months, I’ve done less appreciating by writing it down, however, and I’m feeling the pull to get back to what I know for sure: writing it down makes it more powerful. So, in that spirit, I am committing to my Facebook group of 41 Days of Appreciating Rampages once again. You are all welcome to join! Today will be Day 1. I’ve decided to use this blog as my post there, so expect content here for the next 40 days. 🙂

Today I am appreciating the wonders of all the photography tools, and especially the free ones! I spent the past few days playing around with PicMonkey. The images on this blog post are some of my photos “enhanced and expanded” with PicMonkey. I love the ease of playing with the features, the ease in downloading the work to my computer, the amazing options that are absolutely free, and the FUN stuff they have on there!

I have always loved photography and remember the days when I used a simple Kodak camera to document my experience studying abroad in Argentina. That little thing captured some pretty good photos. But what was really exciting was my first 35 mm camera – a Pentax K1000 and I love that I still have it, use it occasionally and it still very much delivers!

While I love the the “old school” world of photography, I am really appreciating the digital world, too. I get amazing photos from my Nikon, and even my iPhone, and instant gratification in “seeing” the work right away. Oh, and I can’t forget the “panoramic” tool on the iPhone5 – it’s just so cool to create with! Tools like Instagram are addicting, fun and creative, too! I really appreciate the convenience of digital photography with social media. Everyone becomes an instant photographer and we can “see” the world through their eyes.

I love how all of these tools allow people to create and share with the world. There is something magical about looking at beautiful photos and I love getting caught up in it. It’s as if the photograph takes me there. I can visualize about beautiful places I’ve been to or intend to visit, or remember how beautiful a simple little creature is through the macro photos of nature. This digital expansion of creative art is exhilarating!

I Love The Summer – Day 31

I love the summer! Whether I’m at a beach or just outside enjoying the longer days, I love the feeling of summer. I don’t have one of those jobs where I get the summers off, but I do get seven weeks of 4-day work weeks in the summer, so the 3-day weekends in the summer feel like mini-summer breaks.

I can remember the feeling of summer as a kid: the excitement of having the time to go out and play all day, take family vacations, ride my bicycle everywhere, walk barefoot in the grass or just sleep in. Yet I wasn’t sad when summer ended and I went back to school because that meant seeing my friends who lived in the country.

Summers mean play, vacations, wearing shorts, being casual, sun, heat, water-related activities, and a thriving vegetable garden. The summer feels free to me. I just love that feeling and wonder how it might be living in a place where one doesn’t experience the contrast of the seasons as much. I prefer the four seasons as they provide a change in my environment: some of which I love and other parts not so much! Either way, the contrast of these seasonal changes help me to appreciate each new season. And right now I’m in the middle of the summer and I love it!

Rampages of Appreciation on Facebook

Ten days ago, I got inspired to create a Facebook group on appreciation. This morning marked my tenth day of posting. The group now has over 50 people in it and seems to have taken a life of its own. I love and appreciate that today! And this is my open invitation to anyone that wants to join us there.

While I chose 41 days to appreciate there, I have this feeling that the group is here to stay. People can join at anytime so some are just starting their Day 1 posts. And there’s no pressure or rules if you don’t post daily, but I will say that energy of the group is contagious! We are making some wonderful connections there, reading each others’ posts and uplifting each other through the amazing power of appreciation.

I’m finding it easy to post everyday (unlike here- LOL).

So everyone is invited to join at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/41days/