mizChartreuse || redefiningSuccess

A perspective shift is all it takes to conquer a fear by using understanding and empathy. When you face your fears for what they are and master your emotions, then–and only then–can you be free. We just have to remember that there are no obstacles besides ourselves; the ones we create.

The day I learned how to fly.

In early May of this year, my fitness instructor Naimah mentioned after class that she was going skydiving at the end of the month for her sister’s birthday, and anyone could join. I toyed with the idea in my mind. Being that it was mid-Twenty Eleven, Year of Fearlessness, and it was my birthday month, deep down I instantly knew I had to and was going to do it. But in true human form, I had to go through the usual debating and procrastinating on making a decision and thinking about how dumb it would be if I were the one who splattered on the earth because I chose to jump out of a plane.

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Everything in this world is symbolic, from the letters we use to create sounds, to the images we see, to the signals we send. Our creative expressions are symbolic—the art we produce, the words we write, the music we perform. The road, and driving, are great metaphors for life. Vehicles on the road are all headed somewhere, but each driver’s journey and destination is unique.

I’ve been out to the northwest suburbs and back a number of times over the last couple of weeks, for birthdays, ladies’ nights, family gatherings. It’s led me to do plenty of observation of how people navigate the roads. When I drive, especially longer distances on the highway, I get into a flow and maintain it. I usually stick to the second to right or the middle lane—a nice neutral place to be between the slow-accelerating 18-wheelers and the impatient luxury car drivers who think that zipping around others will get them anywhere that much faster (which it won’t).

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“That spider is poisonous, Bobby,” bokeen taunted his friend of 25 years. “No, trust me; I know that species. AND it’s a jumping spider. You wanna know how far that kind of spider can jump, Bobby? Oh, I’d say it can jump from right there in its web, to…directly into your mouth.”

Bob grimaced a little, and sometimes went at the spider in question with a rolled-up paper, or a stick or a shoe or a towel or something.

bokeen’s Spider Expert joke became one of many recurring stories during our  7-day lovers’ retreat at Lake of the Ozarks for a week with his childhood best friend, Bob, and Bob’s lovely longtime girlfriend, Jessica.

The four of us rented a lake house at the Glicks’ Rock Harbor Resort the first week of July. Our cabin was directly on the lake, with nothing but a wooden fence, a barrage of luscious trees, and a steep 40-foot decline separating us from the placid yet oscillating waters.

Panoramic view of our long porch (click for fullsize)

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One of my part-time adventures is working at the South Loop Bongo Room. The cute, cozy breakfast restaurant is always so busy on weekends; people line up in droves before we open on and will even sit on a waiting list for over an hour. It’s quite the phenomenon to me, but it’s cool to be a part of something that a lot of people enjoy.

A few Saturdays ago, all of us staff were getting ready to have our end of the day family-style brunch together, as we waited for the last diners to get the hell out so we could clean up, close out, and divvy up our cash. I was walking in my usual fast circles taking care of some final things when I had one of those…moments.

I breezed past a guy in a maroon t-shirt and khaki shorts. We made that quick kind of eye contact where we didn’t really look at each other, but something in my mind’s database gave me pause—my internal facial recognition software was firing on all cylinders. My feet were moving fast, but clearly my brain was moving faster.

I turned around and walked back around the corner toward the guy and he was, of course, walking back toward me.

“I KNOW YOU!” We both exclaimed at the same time, as we tried to place our connection.

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As I’ve shared before, I enjoy photography– the art of capturing moments, especially when taking walks with the intent of simply being open. In the way artists sometimes don’t know what they’re going to create until they’re in the moment, creating, I don’t usually know what I’m going to capture until that certain subject or perspective speaks to me.

During one of my recent walks, 1111 beckoned. And when 1111 shows itself, I pay attention.

Resonance.

The always-poignant Steve Pavlina composed one of the most straightforward explanations of the 11:11 “phenomena” which, if you’re open to it, may further clarify why walking past the sign above gave me pause.

After taking a moment, I turned to continue on my walk toward home and saw this on a street post.

And with that, the idea for this short photo essay was born. My goal was to reach completion between 1111 and home.

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