Everyday Inspiration, Day 3 – One Word Inspiration

A single word can prompt a story, an image can propel you further than you ever thought was possible. We were given a list of words

hope, regret, home, choice, secret, abundance

I guess after hope, Choice is a very important word in my life. After fighting off the Grim Reaper several years ago, I made a conscious CHOICE to stop wasting my life. That first year was a whirlwind and I have never looked back, I made choice after choice, I chose to accept WHATEVER life through at me.

Let’s go chasing waterfalls in winter, lets camp on top of a mountain, let’s fly to Central Australia next week on a whim, let’s get on a helicopter. I took up photography and went to every class I could afford or could find. I did online course, after course. I rarely said no to anything, even if it terrified me, because I was still alive, and that was sweet. That’s the one choice I don’t have, none of us do (well unless we take things into our own hands, but that’s a whole other argument)…we have no idea just how long we are here and have no idea when our number will be called.

So what does choice mean? It can mean different things to different people. To me? I remember laying in my hospital bed, thinking when I got home things had to change. I wanted out of my job, I wanted something meaningful to do with my life. I wanted to stop feeling bored and useless and lonely. I wanted to travel and meet people and create beauty. That’s when I thought I wanted to learn photography, to take some lovely photos instead of the crap I usually took on holidays, something I would be proud to display on my wall. I started my blog, as I figured I wanted to get more into marketing (Not so much now), and I needed a wider social media foot print, funny isn’t it when I first started blogging I had no idea of the choices I would make nor the direction I would end up taking.

I am fortunate that I have the financial means to chase some of my dreams, I am not rich, far from it, but comfortable. I get the joy and privilege of choosing who I work with and on what projects. I have chosen to open my heart and my mind to people who I may never have met if not for this blog and my photography.  I don’t look down on people who don’t share my beliefs, but I do feel pity for people who cannot open themselves to new experiences. Experience is the spice of life. Perhaps I read that on a bumper sticker somewhere?

The choice is life…there are people who for various reasons have no choice, or think they have no choice, even not choosing is a choice, isn’t it? It starts as a simple thing, free will. Today I choose to stand up and take a breath, tomorrow I will conquer the world or something like that. Youth is wasted on the young and long life is wasted on people who do not enjoy it. Ask anyone who has lost a loved one suddenly, or has had a near death experience, or even a really nasty health scare; the air smells sweeter, the colors are brighter, the sounds are purer, and the simple things in life truly are a joy.

That was my choice…firstly to live, and then to enjoy each and every day after that.

~ Julz

P.S. the featured image is Craig’s Hut at Sunrise, after the night we slept on top of a mountain! Oh My…that my friends is an experience to have.

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