Skip to main content

Alles Gute fur mich

 

This weekend has been a bit out of the norm but in a good way.  First I turned 52 years old, then that same day I was interviewed for my favorite podcast.  Most importantly I got a birthday card from my son.

First I will start with the birthday card.  The cover states OLD PERSON BINGO, with 25 slots and included stickers to fill in what pertains to me.  Some choices are ‘Worried About the Economy’, ‘Have Considered Moving to Florida’, ‘Think Dinner at 4 Sounds Pretty Good’ ‘Still uses Facebook’ and on and on.  I gladly placed a sticker on each one that applied to me and might I say I would have gotten BINGO twice and one away from two others.  The humor of the card was one thing but the message inside from my son was special to me.  We do not have a close relationship.  He feels I am always lecturing him and that I do not listen to him.  I also feel he does not listen to me.  His message to me was “Thanks for putting up with me for 16 years and 364 days.  I love you, Gavin.”  It was a touching message showing emotion which is something he rarely expresses with me.  A simple yet powerful message indeed.

Next, there was my 52nd birthday.  During the lockdown, I only went out to grab carryout with my wife but spent the day watching movies and hanging out with her.  Again a simple day, but still one I found precious.  I received a few texts from friends and even a few Facebook messages.  I am not one that likes to be the center of attention, nor really celebrate my birthdays, but people reaching out was very nice.  The final gift to myself as I ordered fifteen 4×6 prints of my own shots.  Eight I will keep and seven will go to Mark.  They should be here next week.  I have started a photo box that I keep photos I print and ones given to me.  Things to look back on later I guess.

I was contacted on Facebook by Neale James, as he was looking for some folks to interview about personal photo projects that we were doing or soon plan to do.  I had mentioned my plan to shoot all the shelters along the Adventure Hiking Trail in the fall and the fact I have already shot two of the five.  If you read my last blog I go into more detail about my plans and the trail itself.  It can be referenced here.

Neale reached out to me and set up a time to interview me through Skype.  I happened to fall on my birthday so he began the interview with recognizing my birthday, then the conversation began.  The interview, like the podcast, was more conversational than a direct question and answer session.  Neale guided me down the path, and within no time the interview was over.  Neale hit save and then we chatted for 10-15 minutes longer.  I enjoyed doing the video chat with him and actually felt comfortable and relaxed answering the questions he asked and with the extended conversation we had.  I will leave the link to the podcast below.  As mentioned, there were three others he interviewed for the show, and as a result, I reached out to each one of them and followed each on Instagram and Facebook.  All four have returned the follow.

Neale spent a bit of time discussing with me, after the interview was over, about the possibility of having more interviews on mental health and how photography seems to be a very popular medium to help those (like myself) deal with anxiety.  He wants my input on that subject as well.  More to come on that at a later time.

The podcast can be found here.  The entire show is 45 minutes long, but if you want to skip to my interview (I’d suggest listening to the whole thing), then fast forward to minute 12:30 – 21:08.

It was a good day, and I made it to yet another year.  Thanks to those who reached out, and thanks for taking the time to read this.

Until next time,

Tim

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Love to get your feedback on what you read!

Popular posts from this blog

Nobody's Listening

  I recently had conversations with two people I know that had experienced a sudden rash of acute anxiety. One was medication related, the other was situational. Both stated that they now had a better understanding of what I have been dealing with. With the recent changes to my medication, Although I still feel anxiety, it no longer takes control of my emotions like it did in the past. However, I know acutely that it still lurks on the fringes, patiently awaiting its chance to pounce on me. During my recent visit to Dr. Erin, she assigned me an exercise where I had to jot down three things each day that I felt I excelled at. This is proving to be difficult for me. The parameters are straightforward and easy to understand. “Anything I do well that day,” she said. As I continued with this exercise, I began thinking of a song by Linkin Par called Nobody’s Listening. I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress Handful of anger held in my chest And everything left’s a wast...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tested

  Life is a series of tests, pushing us to our limits and forcing us to grow. All blessings originate from a God, yet they manifest through different circumstances, encounters, and individuals. Throughout the past six weeks, I have encountered a myriad of these tests. This is part of the reason I have not written in a while - the constant distractions that have consumed my time and focus. Balancing my mental state and warding off anxiety has consumed my attention, leaving no room to articulate my thoughts through writing. My journey began recently when, with the advice of a medical professional, I began taking Trintellix at its lowest dose of 5mg per day. Gradually I increased to 10mg a day and now am at 20mg a day. During this time, my anxiety has lessened quite a bit, but recent events have put this medication to the test. Our initial challenge was to carefully research vans, searching for ones that would be ideal for safely transporting our furry companions. The cramped spac...
Post a Comment
Read more

Waiting for the End to Come

  I have been in a funk lately. I am adjusting to my anxiety medicine, and I feel it is working, but maybe too well. Last week I met with Dr. Erin. She, of course, asked me how I was feeling and honestly, I told her I was not really feeling anything. We dug deeper, and she explained that my anxiety prior to the medicine was like a roller coaster. I had extreme highs and extreme lows. Now with the medicine it is more of a flatter track. I am not hitting the lows; Like I was before (which is good), but also not hitting the highs either. I feel like I am purely existing. Little desire to do much of anything. It’s true my passions are hiking and photography, which I do little of in the summer because of ticks, heat, and snakes. I know fall is approaching and I hope that helps me get out of this funk somewhat. I will also speak to my psychiatrist about lowering my dosage to see if that helps. Even my writing has been affected. I have not had the desire to write. Music, however, ha...
Post a Comment
Read more