My Saturday - H

I went to a photo seminar put on by Nat'l Geographic Traveler today. I learned some helpful tips, the most helpful one being that I just need to shoot photos and experiment with various techniques, kinds of light, perspectives, subject matter, everything. It's something I've heard before, but for one reason or another, I find that to be the most difficult. It just goes to show that creativity is a matter of work as much as or perhaps more than it is a matter of inspiration. The second is a realization that I shouldn't go out and expect that I will necessarily get good photos or that I will see something worth shooting every time. Taking photos just doesn't work that way. The third helpful point was that photographing is a journey, which explains why although I really like photographing, I don't have the patience to take a lot of the steps that will lead to proficiency or interesting and uniquely creative outcomes. I want to have arrived at the destination yesterday. (sigh)

So, I was apart from baby J all day for the first time in 19 months. The seminar went from 9AM - 4PM. I was worried about how she would do since she is still nursing, but she was FINE and was not as elated to see me at the end of the day as I'd imagined. I had mixed feelings about that. It's good that she doesn't need to be with me all day. It's almost better that she had time apart from me so she could get used to it more. It was also good that she could miss 2 meals from me and hardly notice. I hope that means weaning her will be relatively easy. Yet another sign that she is growing up and moving on, another opportunity for me to slowly let her go. Honestly, it's bittersweet, but I love her and am excited that she is continuing to grow and learn new things. We think she'll be walking by the end of the month. It does seem a little fast. E calls it athleticism. I'm excited for when she is able to finally walk so that we'll have more freedom when we take her out. She won't need to be held all the time.

...and that was my Saturday.