Hi ,

A couple of quick items before today's photo and queries. In the last issue I mentioned I'm a seeking an Art Rep / Business Partner. I have since created a web page description and link which I'd greatly appreciate your looking at and then passing on to anyone you think might be interested or who might know such a person. Quite possibly he/she is a retired, experienced business person. See ArtRepPartner.

Next, if you are one of our subscribers who enjoys creative experiences, I think you'll appreciate the following information.
I was on a call last night with Marney Makridakis, one of the most creative artists and business people whom I know. I worked with Marney several years ago and had forgotten of how full of ideas she is, always testing, implementing and following through.

Tomorrow night (Thursday, October 14th), she's offering a complimentary teleclass, The Awe of Attraction: Using the ARTbundance Principles to Break the "Law" and Find the Love! It's all about using art and creativity as powerful new tools to attract more of what you want into your life. See ARTbundance.

There will be several hands-on creative activities done during the call. Marney will also be introducing an upcoming program in which she will be training coaches in using creative practices in new ways. To get a taste of the broad areas, in general, in which Marney's creativity has taken her, see Artellaland.

Lastly, before today's photo, I invite those of you in business to check out the information on Molly Gordon's upcoming Profit Alchemy 101: Four Weeks to a More Focused Profitable Business program. Simply click on Profit for information.

Today's Featured Photo -

Cat's Whiskers in the American Orchid Society Gardens in Delray Beach.

Today's Photo Story -
In a recent walk in the AOS Gardens I was attracted by the above flower, as much as for its name as for its imagery. Then in a couple of different conversations, in subsequent days, "cats" and "cats' whiskers" came up... the cats that are animals, that is. The coincidences, thus, reinforced my decision to feature the above flower in this issue of Picture to Ponder.

At first, I thought the photo as not "good enough" to stand alone, that you might want another photograph of a "more beautiful" flower. And, then, I placed it on the page with a contrasting photo and the whiskers "wanted" to be the center of attention.

As I spent time simply being with the photo I got caught up in the dance of it, the movement in the flower itself and the play of lights and darks in the contrasting background.

I invite you to do the same, stay with the photograph for a moment or two and see what comes up for you.

Self-Reflecting Queries -
One of the things I thought I would be addressing with the Cat's Whiskers is our "expectations." When you read "Cat's Whiskers" in the subject heading were you drawn in because you love cats? Put off because, perhaps you dislike cats? (Those who were might not even have opened this issue.) Or, were you simply curious as to why cats' whiskers would be featured in Picture to Ponder?

There are probably several other variables and more questions that I could suggest above. The bottom line is that I suspect you had some reaction/response, a little different from your usual one here.

My point to this conversation is to notice how our behaviors are so often colored by our expectations, or the way we think things are, simply from assumptions or judgments we've made.

I invite you to look into your life now. Were there were any recent circumstances where you made a quick decision on doing, or not doing, something, or one on talking or not talking to a particular person? If so, were there clues that the situation might have been different from your immediate assessment?

Should nothing immediate come up for you as you ponder the previous questions, I invite you to pay attention in the next day or two, or more, to the number of times you automatically make a decision based on a preconceived notion. As you begin to notice these, are you finding that there are some minor shifts you'd care to make in your perceptions.

Please do "play" with these queries. Have fun and open up to new possibilities.

As always, you are welcome to share your responses in the COMMENTS section of this post on the BLOG. Or, send your thoughts directly to me. Note the new "Notify me.... " option so you can get emails when others comment. Looking forward to our connecting there. Thank you so much.

Reader's Comments are welcome -
To post them on the Photography and Transformation blog click on the small word "Comment" at the end of the post. A window will open, asking for your name, email address that will NOT be published, a URL if you have - Your name will be linked to that - and a box with space for you to "Leave a Reply" will be there to type in your response. Then remember to click on "Submit."

If posting on a blog is not your style, please continue to send your comments directly to me. Learning what you are experiencing means a lot. It is part of the reward, for me, of publishing Picture to Ponder.

Guests - If this issue has been passed on to you by a friend, we invite you also to take advantage of a no-cost subscription. Simply click on SUBSCRIBE. You can learn more about Picture to Ponder on our INTRO page.

Inspirationally,


Sheila
sheila[a]picturetoponder.com
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