When I was a kid I stepped onto old metallic bucket that was laying out in pasture. The bucket was rusted out and my foot went through the bottom of upside down bucket. Little did I know that I was invading the home of hundreds if not thousands of black hornets! The North American black hornets (Also known as the Bold Faced Hornet) is one of the most aggressive bees ever. By the time I pulled my foot out of their nest it was so covered with bees that you couldn’t see the color of my socks. Thankfully my grandfather was with me and was able to knock most of them off of me before they could sting. But the fear of being stung stayed with me well into my adult life. I have nearly wrecked cars and trampled children to escape from a bee that was buzzing around my head. The phobia of bees finally climaxed in the late 90s when while running from bees I got my same foot tangled up in the underbrush and broke my ankle. The details are kinda long but the bottom line is that I wound up having to hike two miles ( about 3 kilometers) out of the mountains on a broken leg. While I was healing I realized that it wasn’t the bees that caused my injuries. It wasn’t even the fear itself that caused my injuries. It was my reaction to the fear. That was the key. I couldn’t just turn the fear off anymore than I had turned it on. But with practice I could learn to control how I handled the fear. I began slowly approaching bees as they worked. Like any other living creatures they can sense fear. As I became more comfortable the bees did too! By facing my fears and consciously controlling my reactions I have overcome my fear. Today I am excited to find bees working on the flowers or even wasps and hornets on patrol for pests in my garden. I no longer have a panic attack when I hear buzzing nearby.
Author: lloydslensphotographyllc
I am a West Virginia native who has always loved photography. I have studied it for many years. I recently turned my hobby into a business. I do event photography, senior and family portraits. I also have several home décor prints and items available for purchase. Some of my photos have been used for book covers. I hope to soon have an on line store at this site.
Rust
I was taught that in order to be art, an image must show the passage of time. Perhaps that has something to do with my being attracted to old barns and cars that have been left to rot away in the middle of a open field. Time is the thing that we’re all born with but never can hold. Not even with iron spikes and steel clamps. Day after day and night after night the elements slowly reclaim the iron. Not even heavy steel bolts and clamps can resist the entropy ( the idea that all things move towards disorder) of the universe. The rust will always come.
Scientists say that our universe should not exist. The nature of the universe is such that energy is easily lost but not easily gained. The implication is that something or someone is adding energy to keep it going.
We’re made of tough stuff. But even as strong as we are our bodies along with our minds and spirits require maintenance to keep the corruption away. Some days I feel like Superman! Other days I say that the Man Of Steel is showing some rust. On those latter days I have to seek out the energy source re-establish order in my little part of the universe.
Image was taken in Glen Farris West Virginia. Never disturb railroad hardware that you may find near the tracks. It’s actually theft.
Life More Abundantly
John 10:10
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
King James Version (KJV)
If we simply define abundant life as living forever we are cheating ourselves out of blessings. Abundant defined as existing or available in large quantities; plentiful. But how do you define life? There’s a scientific definition. “organisms maintain homeostasis, are composed of cells, undergo metabolism, can grow, adapt to their environment, respond to stimuli, and reproduce. …“. But that cold laboratory life is merely biology. It can apply just as equally to a slime which has no dreams and ambitions. Life is energy in action. A dynamic flow body, mind and spirit. Science defines energy as the ability to do work. By implication abundant life from God is the ability to do work for God. Like batteries we fill up and release our energy into the world. Like a battery we must recharge on a daily basis. Our energy supply is plentiful and always available.
Challenge accepted 2.11.18
Hello Friends!
I was given a direct challenge to answer the questions posed by Zankhana Goyal in her Sunshine Blogger/Liebester Award post.
- What are some things you haven’t seen or read, but know everything about because of popular culture? A. To be completely honest I’m not really interested in what most people consider pop culture. I know that sounds odd but I always have had a non conformist streak to my personality the made me reject a large portion of the populist mindset.
2. What advice can you give to new bloggers?
A. I’m a relatively new blogger myself. But, because my life experience has been working directly with the public for 30 years I think that I can say it’s all about perception. Be yourself. Be honest with your following. They chose you for a reason so try to be consistent with your interaction.
3. What is the one thing you wish people knew about you?
A. When I’m blunt about an opinion it’s not because I’m angry or upset etc . I simply have no other way to express myself or the subject matter is too important to allow room for misunderstanding.
4. How did you pick your blog’s name?
A. My blog was conceived as an advertising tool to promote my business. “Lloyd’s Lens Photography ” Each post is really more about the image than the writings. I write about the thoughts that the image invoked for me as a wayto give a little extra to the observer.
5.What’s the favorite post that you’ve published? (Link, please!)
A. I can’t really say that I have a favorite but I do visit this tree often. I have several images of this spot.
The writing is about a place where two lovers meet in the dream world only but in their waking life they have never met. Each person thinks that the other is only a fantasy. The story is one that I started a long time ago but have never had the time to finish.
6.Which profession do you think is best?
A. The one that you would do for free if you didn’t need money. I’ve spent my life going from one job to the next and I’ve gained a lot of useful experience that way. But I’ve never been happy. I have come to realize that I was only chasing a paycheck. We need money to finance our lives for sure but don’t sacrifice too much of your life to get money. If at all possible become an independent business owner doing what you love.
7. What can you do for your own country?
A. The USA is in the cusp of a paradigm shift. I don’t want to get too political but to say that anything a person can do to gain personal liberty and be responsible for themselves on an individual level will make a nation stronger. Anyone who has to care for a person on an individual level will have power over the individual. The stronger the individual is the stronger a nation will be.
8. 3. What do you observe first thing if you met?
A. I watch people’s body language. I do this a lot as a photographer because it helps me to get better pictures of my clients and to find potential new clients.
9. How can India be DEVELOPED NATION ???
A. Well, building on my answer for question number 7, the individual is the key to everything. The individual must reduce his/her dependency on government and large corporations. Food is a good place to start. Even if person is only able to grow one meal for themselves that’s one meal that did not divert resources. I recommend learning permacultre. There are many free resource online.
10. Sports / music or dance ?? Why ??
A. I really don’t have much time for sports and I would rather play a game than watch a game. My dancing looks like a monkey with an itch so no public dancing. Ah but music! I can put my music on and be inspired while I work.
11. Most beautiful part of India/your home country ?
A. It’s really hard to choose but I’m partial to Eastern Woodlands of America and my mountains.
With the questions answered I would like some feedback from my followers. I want to do something maybe on a monthly basis to help promote each other’s blog. For me this is much easier than a random award. I’m thinking about interviews, shoutouts and the like but I need some ideas. This would be specific to my followers. The idea is to build a community. Please comment below. 🙂
As for passing along the challenge I’m not going to ask eleven questions. The reason why is that I want to maintain a certain consistency to my website. I would rather ask a fewer number of questions that help a person to reach a deeper level of contemplation and improve their quality of life.
1. Assume that you won the lottery and you have more than enough money to last your family for the next three generations. How would you use the excess to make the lives better for your hometown? Would you give it away or invest in a regenerative business partnerships with your neighborhood?
2. What is happiness to you?
3. Can justice truly exist without mercy?
I know those are some pretty heavy questions so I’m going to cut it off at three questions.
Overcoming
I was taking portraits for a friend last year at a track and field event. It was a nice overcast day. Perfect for outdoor portraits. As usual I was challenging myself to push the envelope on my skills and the competition provides plenty of opportunities. I was never a person who could compete in feats of agility and I’m always fascinated by the hurdles. I was a large framed man by age 14. 6 feet 3 inches tall and 250 pounds of muscle that could not jump. Needless to say that I found the petite young lady pictured here quiet impressive with her skills. Shortly after the picture was taken another wave of athletes came through gracefully bounding over the obstacles. I heard a voice behind me comment that she wished she could jump as well as the others. I turned to see the girl in picture. She had never saw herself competing. She didn’t know how well she did on the same course.
Most people are stronger than they know. Most people have never seen themselves through the eyes of another.
Let me tell you now that you were born to be a champion! Just because you have not seen yourself as a champion doesn’t mean that you’re not winning.
Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you don’t jump well. That s okay. Jumping just isn’t your competition. My sport was American Football. I could tackle and protect the quarterback. The jumpers didn’t always do well in my competition. Maybe you’re not an athlete at all. Well, I’ll bet your smart, funny and talented in other ways.
Whatever it is I want to know that you’re just as capable of success as anyone else. The rest is just practice and dedication to the goal.
I never planned to publish this image. But all day today I felt like God was telling me that someone needs to be encouraged. There’s a hurdle in your life that you don’t think you can overcome. God wants you to know that He gave you talent and abilities to succeed. Just practice and prepare. When it’s time to jump you’re gonna make it.
LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 