Nine thousand two hundred and eight. That’s how many pictures I’ve taken in 2013. Well, I’ve taken more, but 9208 have survived, so far escaping the delete key that sends them into the ether.
My dear fellow vixens Elizabeth and Susannah inspired me wander back through the memories I’ve captured over the past year and share a few here. In the digital age, it’s so easy to capture and catalog the images that tell the stories of our lives. But it’s also so easy to allow all those images to gather dust, taking up space in our computers yet left forgotten in our lives. And I’m as guilty as anyone of this.
But, the process of scanning through a year’s worth of photos has reminded me of many everyday moments for which I’m grateful. And it’s also reminded me to do something with all these images. Print them. Make books. Make cards. Share them.
I have nine thousand two hundred and eight moments to be thankful for and I shouldn’t have to search my hard drive to be reminded of them.
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JANUARY
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FEBRUARY
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MARCH
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APRIL
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MAY
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JUNE
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JULY
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AUGUST
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SEPTEMBER
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OCTOBER
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NOVEMBER
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DECEMBER
Last Sunday I ran the 9th race in my 12 month challenge, the Andy Reading 10K. And, I will always remember this race as the one in which I ran with the deer.
It was in the middle section of the race as we ran a circuit around RAF Weston-on-the-Green. Something caught my eye in the wide open expanse of the airfield. There, a short distance away were two deer running like the wind across the field. I pointed them out to the woman running behind me, both of us commenting that we suddenly felt inspired to run faster. The deer ran off into the distance and I lost sight of them. Then, as I rounded a bend, there they were again. Except this time, they were only a few yards away running alongside me. Though the deer were small, their quickness and grace made me fully aware of how we humans aren’t truly built for speed.
I didn’t want to get out of my warm PJs and head out on this cool wintry morning and run around for an hour. But, as is always the case, there was some new experience, some nugget of joy that in the end made me grateful that I made the effort and overcame the inertia pulling me back to bed. I didn’t run a great race, it was one of my slower ones. But I ran alongside wild animals and it made me feel alive and connected to earth, nature, and the universe.
Life is like a playground sometimes. With time and a little practice, you gain the confidence to conquer obstacles that once seemed impossible to climb.