Some people are gifted with the ability to power nap, which I envy very much. My father had this uncanny way of shutting the world out for five to ten minutes, fall into a deep sleep almost instantly and wake a new man. This skill came in handy during safaris, road trips, and during the the work day. He would announce his nap time with the simple phrase “Five minutes!” and off he went. Unfortunately, I did not inherit this and take after my mom. We power through the day because if we stop to take a nap, we need at least an hour!
Both my parents were early risers, although the older they got, the more difficult it was for themto get out of bed before sunrise. Daddy, before his strokes, maintained the discipline for the longest time, and in later years claiming the need to get up early enough to beat rush hour on the internet. His naps became longer after he retired, but we still kept the phrase in the family, “Five minutes!”
I kept the phrase alive, but in my world, five minutes is related to light and photography and nothing to do with a nap… though I truly wish it did. I’ve been going on about the last 15 minutes of light in the past weeks, but this morning, I literally just had five minutes to capture the most fantastic light. When you understand clouds and dawn light, you know there is a very small window of opportunity when the light peaks and the myriad of colours is refracted in the most spectacular manner.
Again, these are SOOC images, completey in their natural and unadulterated glory. Why would I want to tamper with nature, especially when blessed with this light? By the time I reached the tree in the third image, the light had changed and there was far too much blue and yellow already, just as I had gauged.
Having spent so many year in the communications world, training others and learning to read people, five minutes are all I usually need to assess someone, read their body language, auras, voice inflections, and do a psychoemotional scan of sorts. I suppose this is both a blessing and a curse, but in my line of work, it has rarely failed me. It goes over and beyond the superficial concept of first impressions. This is decades of experience converging in a focused assessment, that guides me to choose an approach. Mind you, I said above that it has rarely failed me, but when it did, I failed spectacularly and paid dearly for it. There have also been times when my five-minute assessment was on point, but my adventurous instinct led me astray. Hmm, this usually turned out to be interesting to put it politely, with no remorse but plenty of regret.
Five minutes, that is all it takes to turn your life around and step into a new light. This morning’s light drove home the point that my life is now full of blues, oranges and pinks in the most glorious manner. It is no longer black and white and trying to get out of a tunnel, but a pursuit of those five minutes of spiritual and visual glory. Carpe diem!
FrogDiva Thoughts 