I always admire the agility and balancing skills of tiny birds—I know that I could not hold a position like that of this sparrow that I spotted last week at Huntley Meadows Park. I think that it is a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), but I am always a bit uncertain when it comes to sparrows.
As for balance, I know that I can always use more of that in my life. When I was still working full-time, all my employers gave lip service to the importance of “work-life balance.” The sad reality was that most of us were workaholics devoting way too much energy to our work and neglecting our lives. It was only when I cut back on my hours during the final decade of my work life that I began to discover some of that mythical sense of balance.
Part of that process has been a deliberate cultivation of my creative side, which I have neglected most of my life. My photography and this blog have played a critical role in that journey of discovery and rediscovery. I really appreciate all of the support and encouragement that so many of you have provided over the years and continue to provide as my journey continues. Thanks.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Small birds can hang on some of the smallest spaces
I totally agree, Joe. Of course, that makes it even even tougher challenge for me to photograph them. 🙂
Our culture is so work-obsessed and too many people define success by their jobs. Balance is so important and sometimes it takes a crisis to make us see that. Thanks for sharing your talent with us Mike. I look forward to your pictures every morning. Happy holidays to you!
Thanks, Michelle. I know all too many people who have had trouble adjusting to retirement precisely because their self-image is tied to their job title. Without that job, they feel lost. In other parts of the world, I think there is a better sense of balance, but somehow here in the US we celebrated the workaholics.
I think this could be said by many of us, at least the ones that recognized a time for change. Very nice post.
Thanks, Ted. I never quite know what will come out when I start to compose a posting. I hadn’t quite planned for it to in the direction that it went, but I like how it turned out.
I do that too LOL. Start one direction suddenly make a left 🤣
I smiled at your response, Ted. I know that I will make left turns, right turns, and even U-turns. They are the inevitable result of stream-of-consciousness style writing. Some people prefer to more carefully edit their prose, but I generally write the way that I think and I confess that I am easily distracted. 🙂
Easily distracted, a good description. LOL. Attention span of a flea is how I can describe myself at times. Yours sounds so much better LOL.
I’m glad you found and express that creative side, Mike. We reap the benefits through this blog! Are you still sketching? It’s good for the soul!
Thanks, Eliza. I still play around with sketching and a bit of watercolor from time to time. Just today I painted a little snowman when I was over a friend’s house. She is a graphics designed and needed some technical help with a PowerPoint presentation she was working on for one of her clients. She has all kinds of art supplies, so I played around a little in between helping her.
Very nice Mike! And yes, work usually gets in the way of “balance”! That is why I started my blog here years ago. After photographing client’s images all week with quick turnarounds, I got to go out and photograph subjects that I liked to photograph! It definitely helped to de-stress the tight deadlines I had to deliver!
Thanks, Reed. I think we benefit from creative outlets that allow us to express ourselves in ways that a job may not allow us to do.
A thoughtful post, Mike, and excellent capture to go along with it. I’m happy to be along for glimpses of your artistic journey, and thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Ellen. I sort of went off on a tangent when I sat down to write my posting this morning. I knew what photo I was going to use, but really had no idea what I was going to say about it. Quite often my writing reflects my mood and it’s pretty obvious that I was in a sort of contemplative mood today.
Your blog shows you have a well-developed creative side these days, even if that side of you had to take a back stage role in the past. I agree with your comments about work/life balance.
Thanks, Susan. I majored in French language and literature in college, so I have always had a kind of appreciation for art and beauty. Somehow as I got older, that side of me was mostly dormant. Over the last decade it has returned in full force and I am finally willing to acknowledge my creativity.
A charmer. Happy Hollidays.
Your shift in focus has been our gain. Have a Merry Christmas and creativity-filled New Year!
Thanks so much, Nina. Merry Christmas to you and yours and best wishes for a healthy and happy 2022.