Assignment - What will I leave behind/welcome more of in 2012

The assignment is to share a photo that represents what I would like to leave behind in 2011 or invite into my life in 2012. 


To leave behind:
This would require me to share more of myself than I am used to doing but I am prepared to go out on a limb here...there is a sense of safety in the anonymity of the web. 
I suffer from an auto immune disease that mainly impacts my energy level and my joints - when it feels like it...which thankfully is not always but regrettably is not always at the most convenient times...
Since I have spent the past three weeks pretty much incapacitated there is no question as to what I would love to leave behind...the task here is how to depict physical pain in a photograph...especially since it is something I hide in every other aspect of my life. There are few who see me when I am in pain and certainly no such photos, despite it being a fact of my life.


so I thought to have fun with this because humour and fun is how I deal with my sometimes inability...

if I could find the right effect I would also add flames in every joint and a bright hot red colour *lol*


there are times when I feel like I can actually FEEL my appendages twisting and shortening and locking and curling... this 'edited' photo is my attempt to show how I feel in those moments.  I think the Picnix term for the effect - "Gooify" - aptly describes how I feel inside and out when my body betrays me like this...


I would also like to leave behind the (perhaps) hypercritical voice that I often judge my photos with and just let myself enjoy the process...

To invite into my life:
Blue skies, sunrises, and just a little cloud to keep me humble and grateful...and more adventures like the one that provided this photo from a hot air balloon over the red rock, canyons and mesas around Sedona Arizona

and LOVE...as I embark upon 2012 I am in the midst of preparing for what is apparently known as an 'encore' wedding! I am looking forward to celebrating what our family and friends call our "so much better" lives with those who supported each of us through our own more difficult times.


I also hope to go further and deeper into my journey into Mindfulness - a journey I have begun but upon which I would like to magnify my focus in the coming year... to focus, on a daily basis, on developing my mindfulness to the point of it becoming a natural occurrence...my camera is definitely a vital tool in helping me to reach this goal. But I have recently recognized that I need to find a balance and take care not to let my camera distract me from seeing all that I can...


2012 is going to be an awesome year of celebration and joy...I am so excited about the prospects for spending time creating - with my camera, in my garden and in my kitchen and perhaps with a little writing as well...

The year is wide open and the opportunities are endless!