“I think I can, I think I can.” The Little Engine That Could was able to climb the highest peaks and deliver his goods to the townspeople because he kept repeating the things that he CAN do. Good for him, but here are some things that I CAN’T do…

I can’t fill my gas tank up unless the gas light is on.
I can’t dance without a little liquid encouragement.
I can’t go a week without chips and salsa.
I can’t sit down at a concert. Or not sing along.
I can’t believe Taco Bell only uses 35% meat. How can something as yummy as the Mexican Pizza be too good to be true??
I can’t cook rice.
I can’t handle a day without my iPhone.
I can’t talk to my cat Pearl without sounding like a complete goofball.
I can’t ride in the car without the radio on. Singing along. Probably badly.
I can’t drink skim milk. Blech. Whole or 2%, baby!
I can’t tolerate punctuation errors, especially on signage. Seriously, you paid for that misplaced apostrophe in your business’ name??
I can’t say no to a great pair of shoes. As a result…
I can’t fit one more pair of shoes into my closet.
I can’t watch Dirty Dancing too many times.
I can’t fall asleep without Chapstick. Or hearing him whisper “sweet dreams.”

How about you? What are some things on YOUR “can’t” list? Leave a comment and let me know…

A leap of faith.

Look before you leap.

Leap and the net will appear.

It’s funny how for kids, “leaping” involves excitement, fun, and feelings of being carefree…

leaping into a crisp pile of leaves,
clinging to a rope swing that one extra second before letting go and leaping into the creek,
flying high on the swingset before leaping into the air below

…yet for adults “leaping” is met with caution, hesitation, and lots of preparation.

When does leaping become something that stops being exciting and starts being scary??

This week, I finally “took the leap” and started a new part-time schedule with the non-profit agency where I’ve worked for 12 years. (My 12 year anniversary with them is actually next week, woot woot!) For 7 or 8 years now, I’ve been “doing photography on the side”….working all day and coming home at night to edit, blog, respond to emails….shooting on the weekends…and repeating.

I am passionate about the non-profit work I do to help children and their families prepare for school and life. But I am also passionate about preserving life and beauty through photographs.

So I planned and prepared and hesitated, and finally I leapt and made more time to focus on my photography. (Pun somewhat intended.) It is scary to cut my salary, to think about doing my job in 3 days rather than 5, to figure out insurance on my own, to have balance in my life, to make sure that photography isn’t just “fun money” but a real part of my livelihood.

Last year at the Spread the Love workshop with Justin and Mary Marantz, Mary stressed their philosophy of “Leap and the Net Will Appear.” Preach it, sista! I’m so there!

It’s still a bit scary for me to leap, not knowing where that net is, but you know what?? It’s funny how, on the exact day when I need the boost the most, I get a call to schedule a meeting with a new bride…and an email from a mother of the groom wanting to order a bunch of prints. And those things–those nets–will catch me. And those things–those nets–will let me relax.

So, in the midst of the leaping, I am committed to stop being hesitant and to start leaping like a child.

With excitement.
With fun.
And with feelings of being carefree.

I want to soar, and to laugh, and to know without a doubt that my net will appear.