Category Archives: Seeing In New Ways

Making Room

Jan
11
2019
by IBK | 2 Comments

©IBKimage2017

Happy New Year 2019

My purpose with this blog and in general is to offer insight and encouragement in life’s transitions. To do that this time I’m remembering a time that I was a professional organizer When I started I helped people organize their offices, houses, garages … by helping them to set up systems to be more productive and to make room by managing their “stuff” in an effective way. I’d shop for products that would help clients contain their items and have less clutter, or more organized clutter. When people heard that I was a P.O. they’d often get a bit nervous or make comments that indicated they had often felt judged for being disorganized. My standard answer was that effective organization was not about being a “neat freak” but having a simple system that allowed a way to find and track things so that it would be easier to find what was needed when we needed it and so on.

It didn’t take long to realize that there was really a much more fundamental reason to address some issues around organizing. Yes having good tools and systems worked to often “busy our way through things” as a friend recently stated … but effective organization affects our relationships and gives us opportunities to make room to discern what is perhaps hiding in our heart that we’d love to explore and act on.

So with that background I’d like to share some thoughts to help us discern what it is that we might want to start making room for in our lives this year? (For those who are dealing with deep grief because of loss of loved ones or other losses your transition in this season will offer challenges that go far beyond what I’m sharing today.)

If we can’t say no, we can’t say yes to something that we might be wanting to address in this season. New beginnings or endings when thought about or acted on allow new perspective and opportunity. Adapt to the season you’re in … don’t try to be more than you need to be,(or less) just be who you are. Making room implies more space … what are you going to choose to allow to enter into that space … take your time. How would you like to spend this year,day,moment,to honor your commitment to what brings you joy and contentment? What would you like to discover, plan,create and solve personally or professionally? Who would you like to spend more time with this year? What is the next action I can take to improve my relationship with others … and perhaps we can all reflect on the grace of new beginnings and ask how we can contribute to reduce the turmoil in our land and agree to disagree with respect

Our duck in today’s image has the ability to be who it is by design and function and doesn’t need a lot of ‘stuff’ … my oh my what a peaceful reflection. (and moments later duck was back with the others) May you experience joy and peace in your reflections.
IBK

Also posted in New Beginning, Pruning, Reframe, Seasons, Uncategorized

Revisiting Part 2

Oct
19
2018
by IBK | 1 Comment
IBK Maine 10-19-2011

IBK Taking A Closer Look

Last month when I shared about revisiting as a part of transition, I sensed from my own experience that there was a summary, a wrapping up of a time of specific actions leading to a new now “revisited” place … a launching place for a new season. Instead it seems it was more of a rest area by the roadside on a continuing journey. Revisiting gives one lots of information and can lead to new actions, but … those new actions then lead to new commitments and finding a way to incorporate the new into the old routines takes some work.

Case in point; In my months of revisiting I had chosen to upgrade my computer versions to better support my blogging and photography. My old ™I Pad was no longer upgradable which also meant less secure. It was however still usable for storing photos, watching movies and general writing, note taking and so on … however before I could “wipe the data” and give it away to my non-cable watching relatives, I had to check and move a lot of data between old and new devices and versions. Little did I know that I would be in a bootcamp computer workshop/training with my own “look up how to do this curriculum” for over two weeks.

There were several other focused choices and everyday pieces of business and daily routines, which then turned into today October, 19th, six weeks after revisiting and committing to start putting out a blog every two weeks. 🙂

So the point is, like in this picture of your blogger and photographer, take a closer look, say yes to what is yours to choose, and give yourself time to travel on your journeys, while continuing to lighten the load. IBK

Also posted in Cropping, Insight, Letting Go, Reframe, Road Trip, Waiting Tagged , , , , , , |

Revisiting

Aug
31
2018
by IBK | 3 Comments

Tomorrow is September 1st and the beginning of a season of new work. I’ve taken six weeks to revisit most aspects of my personal and creative life and how that might look in the coming year.  More specifically I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions and taking the necessary time to discover (or discard) the answers that will support (or not) my work as I continue to offer insight and encouragement in life’s transitions.  I’d of course love to enthusiastically “firehose you with all that I’ve learned, but that gives you no opportunity to reflect about your own times of transition.  So today I will simply offer a word to get you started …  Revisiting.

My friend Erica stepandconnect.com  provided the word as she was working with my husband to take a look at some of the balance exercises she has provided for helping him navigate his world as not only an older but also a now blind person.

Reviewing is another word  but seems more specific  than reflective in that it often implies reviewing your work,or a plan before you build something or reviewing finances.  Revising is also a good word in relationship to transition but seems to also be specific to something you’ve discovered you want to change.

In revisiting you have a big picture opportunity to take a look at all you are doing or engaged in and ask yourself if this is a “fit” for your now and where you might be going.  Many of the things we’ve done were good in their season, but might not be necessary now.  To offer an example.  On a big piece of paper I wrote down all that I am, have, am doing, pursuing, struggling with,forced to deal with, enjoy interacting with, and so on.  I also tried to answer what brings me joy and energy and if what I was engaged in, was supporting that.

I don’t have answers to everything, but I do have some clarity of what needed to be edited, removed, increased, cherished and … acted on.

Today’s images  illustrate revisiting.  Why did I take this photo?  I loved the colors, the texture, the contrast of the green tree to the rock. It was taken several years ago when I was a relatively new photographer. My artist friend, Jane Mason (artinthecenter.wordpress.com) in a creative coaching session, challenged me to revisit the photo to identify how much of it was needed (cropping) and what was the story I was offering the viewer?

Image 1, the original; Image 2, the first edit; Image 3, the rest of the story.  I was telling the story of courage and new life possible in rocky times.

IBK

 

Also posted in Authenticity, Courage, Cropping Tagged |

Distortion and Delight

Jul
05
2018
by IBK | 1 Comment


©2018 IBKimage

It’s so easy to allow the distortions of reality to become the reality that we often proceed from … whether in major transitions or the familiar repeated patterns of our daily habits. External and internal conditions can draw us to false conclusions.

Years ago someone told me a story about a fear of driving over a mountain pass to get to her place of employment in a neighboring town. This was not an unfamiliar route, but the weather conditions were more challenging and she was very fearful. “What if I slide off the road and no one finds me; what if I wreck my car and can’t” … and so on. She then stopped these thoughts and asked herself: ” If this is my last night on earth, do I want to live it being fearful?” With that reframe she proceeded on her way, able to drive on in wonderment of what the moonlight revealed with every new turn down the mountain.

That story changed me. I was afraid of heights and a few other things … when we leave the present for the past we often dance regret; too much time in future anticipations attracts doubts and fears. Author Jan Phillips says this: “We are vulnerable to fear only when we leave the present … It’s in the present moments that I belong. Only there do I feel my balance, find my oneness with all creatures, with all life, with the meadows and mountains.”

Jan’s book is about contemplative photography and as I slowly work through it, I understand again that when I bring the camera to my eye … the peace I feel in that moment in time is the privilege of presence.

Todays image is a deliberate distortion taken from the outdoor track of the Hyatt Hotel in Downtown Denver. Taking a photo at high noon on a sunny day is usually not very realistic, but by shooting into the reflections that the tall buildings provided … conditions changed … it was a dance in the moment delight.
IBK

Also posted in Reframe Tagged , |

Thinking in Threes

Mar
02
2018
by IBK | 2 Comments

©2009 IBKimage

Dear Readers,

It’s March 1st and I’ve been hibernating a bit and it does look like I’m springing forward to summer when this image was made at Crested Butte, CO – a year after I moved to Denver CO from the flatland of Nebraska. Bu it’s really an image I chose to illustrate something I’ve discovered or perhaps rediscovered about transitions.  When the world around you feels chaotic , when the changes are too many or to few or too fast or too slow; or oh so many choices in everything   … try thinking in threes.

 

I offer some questions:  What three things could I focus on that if done regularly would offer a “lot of juice for the squeeze”; who are three people in my life at various times that have inspired me and why; what three things have I learned about myself when I have failed; how about three things I really need or want to stop doing; what three books have I enjoyed the most or learned from and what were the three reasons I did; what are three ways that I could make a difference in something the world or my community or network needs; and so on.

It seems a bit silly, but thinking in three provides clarity, boundaries and flexibility to act on priorities. It’s also dynamic so as your situation changes … what three things … and so on.

A few examples if I might from my own life:  As I’ve aged and now am in what I call the “4th quarter of my life” I’m learning to listen more, talk less, and remind myself to listen more.  :-). I’ve discovered that many of the wonderful books I’ve read and enjoyed and learned from now seem like they belong on someone else’s book shelf. The three most important things for my health now is to move daily in some way, eat less and more nutrient dense food,  and sleep when I’m tired.  In terms of personal relationships, I keep trying to get over myself , invest in the next generation, and bask in the gift of friends past and present.

 

So as I like to say: “Offering insight and encouragement … now it’s your turn.”

IBK

Also posted in Cropping, Pruning, Reframe

Something Old is New Again

Nov
03
2017
by IBK | 2 Comments

We often press forward,crossing items off of the proverbial “bucket list”, reaching for the next level in our fitness, clearing out those numerous e-mails before we leave our desk, learning how to use a new tool, and so on. In our culture what’s new is constant new offerings every day.

And yet, it’s also wonderful to look at something old in a new way. Maybe you haven’t played a musical instrument that you’ve enjoyed, for many years; a new reed, a polishing cloth, a few false starts and your delight returns; Same is true for most hobbies … picking up that paint brush, finally altering your aunts old wool coat with its memories to fit a new generation; seeing an old relationship in a new way, minus the personal feelings evoked and so on.

I experienced that this week in looking at an old image in a new way because of an improved post processing procedure. A clearer picture now, taken on a beautiful fall day in November … was actually a 4 year old image made in July. As we transition through our seasons, we can reflect on the old in the today and often find new insights.
IBK

Also posted in Inspiration, Stopping, Uncategorized Tagged , , |

New Beginnings

Jan
26
2017
by IBK | 4 Comments
©IBKimage2015

©IBKimage2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Readers:

I left you here in the conservatory at the Denver Botanic Garden when I posted a blog on July 31,2015.

In that last blog I said:  “Having recently experienced several non routine events in some areas of my life, I’d like to offer an insight. Instead of spending so much energy trying to work to keep it all under control,I wondered what I might need for myself during a time that required more of me than I might have …”

 

As it turns out that was my last blog in almost 18 months. A number of things are now settled  and I’m ready to start anew. I’ve learned a lot about  strengths and weaknesses ; cleaned out a metaphorical and literal file cabinet to make room; faced realities that I have less energy than before and want to be more authentically me. You all have experienced transition in your own unique situations and seasons.

 

The absolutely best thing that has happened is that I have learned to listen more thanks to several loving people  who have held me accountable to take a look at my  “dance in the moment enthusiastic narratives” and in essence stop “fire hosing people” (my term, not theirs).  Some of you may be smiling now …  Anyway, my very quiet, husband of many years finally said to me:  “enough context, get to the point”.  “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

 

Looking forward to offering insight and encouragement through Word and Image as we navigate life’s transitions … and I do have a few good narratives to share.

Joy,

IBK

 

Also posted in New Beginning, Seasons, Uncategorized, Waiting Tagged , , , , , |

Your Turn

Jun
25
2015
by IBK | 7 Comments

Mobiles hanging in a space always draw me in to watch how light plays with movement.

 

Today I thought it would be fun to reverse roles.  I’m supplying the image, and I ask you dear readers to supply the words. What thoughts about transition come to mind for you as you reflect on this image?

IBK

 

©IBKimage2012

©IBKimage2012

Time Well Wasted

May
08
2015
by IBK | 1 Comment

 

©2013 Telluride

©2013Ibkimage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, I had the privilege to hear “someone’s heart” about some major decisions regarding a hoped for direction in a relationship and a desire to engage in more frequent work or perhaps a career change. After several interactions and some movement forward, I received a note. In essence: “Things didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped and I made some sacrifices, but had I not taken this risk, I would not now know so much more about me … and then this:  “It was time well wasted.”  I was so moved by such a healthy reframe and have been “dancing” with the phrase ever since… time well wasted.  We usually say:  “It was time well spent” but this reframe opens  many possibilities.

 

We of course want to have a lot of memories of  time well spent but we often don’t get there because we think it was (or is) such a waste of time to spend time on something we want to do or be. It seems so frivolous or so much work.

 

Today’s image is a view from an abandoned cabin at the top of a trail in Telluride, Colorado. My photo friend dragged me up there to see this “unreal view” of a cabin with multiple windows and doors that each had a unique stunning view of the surrounding landscape. The only post processing work here is a slight crop to reduce the overall size of the image.  Ah…”time well wasted”.

 

What say you? Can you think of time well wasted that lead you to new places and insights?

IBK

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also posted in Blessings, Courage, Insight Tagged , , , , |

Balls in the Air … Balls on the Ground

Jun
20
2014
by IBK | 1 Comment

©IBKimage2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continue to be in transition as our house is still on the market in one location and we’re almost finished with a remodeling project in another one 500 miles away. On a recent walk with an old friend in the new location I was able to speak out loud so many of the challenges, joys, griefs, and pain of this particular transition.  She held a space for me to “put it all out there” without judgment or a need to fix things. Sometimes we just need someone to “hear our hearts.”  As we came to the end of our time together, she reminded me that I had a “lot of balls in the air” and perhaps I could let some of them bounce to the ground for now so that I would be able to focus on the “ones that could break …”  A phrase of encouragement and affirmation offered a new perspective and way of thinking about my situation. Sadly, it reminded me also that some of the balls had already broken.

 

As I’ve lived with this phrase for the past several days, I couldn’t wait to share today’s image with you.  It comes from the Chihuly Glass Exhibition, which opened this week at the Denver Botanic Gardens. At the end of my walk on a day when they were assembling some of the exhibits (which continue until November 2014),I came upon this amazing boat filled with beautiful balls of glass …  Just think if we keep juggling and trying to make  everything fit into our timeline, we might miss the boat and what’s inside.

What balls can you let “bounce?”

IBK

 

 

Also posted in Letting Go, New Beginning Tagged , , , , , , |