# A Reason to Live



## ClosetWriter (Jun 12, 2012)

*S*ometimes great things happen when we don’t expect them. A very minute detail or seemingly insignificant event can change the course of our lives. Taking a photograph did just that for me. 

I saw very little beauty in the world. I saw very little hope. My attitude had been greatly altered by a battle with prostate cancer. It had become increasingly difficult for me to find reason in anything. I lacked both motivation and inspiration. My life had become a burden to me. Then, the simple click of the button on a point and shoot camera changed things for me in a way that I feel incapable of expressing in terms of the joy it has brought me. Keep in mind that every waking moment of my life I was dwelling on the fact that I am most likely going to die from prostate cancer. I know this because it is something I have heard from numerous doctors, and read in many medical journals. My advanced form of the disease is incurable when it leaves the pelvic region. My cancer had entered nerve cells, and lymph nodes; both are like super highways to the rest of the body. Things were very grim for me, but then – I took a photograph.

It was springtime in northern Michigan. The joke about Michigan is: if you don’t like the weather wait five minutes because it is sure to change. March of 2012 is proof of that. We had experienced a very mild winter. Very little snow had fallen in the area that I live. Most winters we could have 3 to 4 feet on the ground in early March. This winter we had nothing until a ten-day-span that hit us with 3 different storms. During the ten-day period we accumulated nearly 3 feet of snow. The last storm, of the three-storm cycle, was heavy and wet. It caused major damage to power lines by virtue of trees snapping and falling onto them. In a matter of a few days, after the last storm, we had a sudden warm up; the snow melted very quickly. It was nearly gone on the morning of March 12[SUP]th[/SUP] when I was leaving for work. The sun was starting to show itself as I headed out our ¼ mile stretch of private road. Suddenly, to my left, I noticed the rays of sun peeking through a white pine grove. The pines lit as if they were on fire. The scene was enhanced by the fact that a fog was rising from the small amount of snow that remained in the shade of the pines. It was a breathtaking sight. The kind that I would often get frustrated by my inability to adequately describe to others. I stopped the car, and got out. I stood and stared while muttering perfect over and over. At that moment I remembered that my Kodak Easy Share point and shoot camera was in the glove box. I reached in and grabbed it. I was worried that since I had been leaving it in the car, that the cold nighttime temperatures may have drained the batteries. I pushed the power button, and was relieved to see it come on. I did next what you are supposed to do with that kind of camera – I pointed and shot.

The capturing of that one photograph led me to where I am today; full of life and dreams; aching to be creative, and artistic; aspiring to share with others the beauty that I am consumed by on a daily basis. In reality that photograph wasn’t very technically sound. I didn’t frame it very well nor were the colors portrayed in a way to show the absolute beauty of the moment. Still, I found something that I could leave to the world. I found a way to show everyone the sort of thing that makes my heart flutter. Nature had always done that for me, but I had given up trying to explain it. Now, I didn’t have to try to explain; I could just simply show people. 

With a gift from my daughter, I have upgraded to a Pentax SLR digital camera. With my new camera I have shot nearly ten-thousand photographs in a relatively short time. Many, if I don’t say so myself, are awe-inspiring. Now, I find myself looking at everything differently. I don’t ‘just’ look at things. I look for the beauty in things – everything. I understand that there is beauty all around us. Sometimes it is not evident at first glance. Sometimes you have to look from different perspectives. Sometimes you have to wait for the ray of sunshine to illuminate that which is hiding; it is there -- keep looking. I know that ‘I’ will until the day I die.

In the grand scheme of things nothing has really changed, yet everything has changed because I have. I am inspired; I am motivated; I am happy -- all because I have found a reason to live. 
Click…


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## Kevin (Jun 12, 2012)

Hmmm...how 'bout posting a link? Love to see them. The U.P. can be a wonderous place. Good to hear from you again.


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## Nemesis (Jun 12, 2012)

WOOT! Yoopers all the way lol (and yes it is very pretty up north)


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## ClosetWriter (Jun 13, 2012)

Removed


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## Nemesis (Jun 13, 2012)

I miss michigan =(


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## tinacrabapple (Jun 13, 2012)

Wow!  I just went to the local photo store and am planning to take a digital photography class in the fall.  So you are still battling.  Well, then you just need to keep posting.  Really, you got the one picture with the picnic table.  It's beautiful.   Keep those legs moving!


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## Kevin (Jun 14, 2012)

@ ClosWrtr.  - Thank you. I especially like the second one. That's how I remember it. Coming from socal. we thought that weather was just fine. The electrical storms coming off the lake at night were better than any fireworks show. I remember being in the water, cooling off from the sauna, when one started, and wondering about the dead fish after the storms. Thanks again.-K


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## tinacrabapple (Jun 15, 2012)

I got my camera going today.  Took some shots of my kid!  Thanks for the inspiration.


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## ClosetWriter (Jun 20, 2012)

I am happy to hear that... They say a picture is worth a thousand words; I couldn't agree more.


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## Penwillz (Jun 20, 2012)

The fourth pic is my favorite! There's just something about it that I kept staring at. Keep it up.


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## ClosetWriter (Jun 21, 2012)

Penwillz said:


> The fourth pic is my favorite! There's just something about it that I kept staring at. Keep it up.



I really liked that one too, but I felt like the photo didn't do the moment justice. You had to be there -- It is a beautiful lake near my home. There are only a few cabins on it. Geese, and loons can be seen every morning swimming near by. The fog rising off the water was hypnotic, and the mood was heavenly. I have learned some better techniques since that day, and I hope to go back when the cold night air will provide a foggy sunrise so that I can try them out. I have posted some more shots in the visual arts section.

Thanks for your comments.

Dave


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## Penwillz (Jun 21, 2012)

I will check them out man.


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## Gumby (Jun 22, 2012)

Those are all fantastic pictures! I especially like the second and fourth. That sky is beautiful in the second and the fog looks so mystical and unreal in the last.


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## kowalskil (Jun 24, 2012)

Gumby said:


> Those are all fantastic pictures! ...



I agree.


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## nerot (Jun 24, 2012)

I have a hard time tearing my eyes away from the second picture.  It is stunning!


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## ScrapNook (Aug 31, 2012)

Closet writer I love reading your passages. They have a rhythm to them that is almost romantic. Perhaps, the romance you are currently having with life?  The pictures are stunning.


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## ClosetWriter (Aug 31, 2012)

ScrapNook said:


> Closet writer I love reading your passages. They have a rhythm to them that is almost romantic. Perhaps, the romance you are currently having with life? The pictures are stunning.



Thank You for your inspiring response. I have not spent a lot of time writing, as of late, due to my love affair with photography, and life in general. I am sure I will get back at it when the time is right. Thanks again I truly appreciate it.


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## Cran (Sep 16, 2012)

It's a very good essay that just needs a few par breaks (that's easy). 

Would you consider submitting this and some of your photographs to Motley Press?


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## ClosetWriter (Sep 17, 2012)

Cran said:


> It's a very good essay that just needs a few par breaks (that's easy).
> 
> Would you consider submitting this and some of your photographs to Motley Press?



Cran,

I am actually the artist that has been spotlighted in the current issue of Motley Press. I have also submitted a very similar story to CBS, and Outdoor Photographer. It has been a few months, and have not heard back from either of them. 

I guess you can say I am a big dreamer. I know it is a long shot that I ever receive the kind of acknowledgement that I hope to obtain, but I believe in myself, and I won't quit. On the surface it might seem like I have a big ego to even consider my work might be presented on such a stage, but in reality I am content with the joy that I get from being in nature; the rest -- I aspire for my wife's well being.


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## Cran (Sep 17, 2012)

ClosetWriter said:


> Cran,
> 
> I am actually the artist that has been spotlighted in the current issue of Motley Press.


Pleased to say that I played a small part in that.



> I have also submitted a very similar story to CBS, and Outdoor Photographer. It has been a few months, and have not heard back from either of them.


Sometimes they can be slow, and sometimes things get caught up in the backlog. Keep on submitting. 



> I guess you can say I am a big dreamer. I know it is a long shot that I ever receive the kind of acknowledgement that I hope to obtain, but I believe in myself, and I won't quit. On the surface it might seem like I have a big ego to even consider my work might be presented on such a stage, but in reality I am content with the joy that I get from being in nature; the rest -- I aspire for my wife's well being.


Everyone who ever got to be on the big stage started somewhere smaller. You've got the eye, and more importantly the passion, for what you want to do. Enjoy every minute, Dave.


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## Divus (Sep 18, 2012)

CW - I think with your beautiful pictures you may have jolted some of the members of WF into action.   It has always puzzzled me why there have been so few on the forum.   As you say one picture can project a thousand words.    I think we shall now see more - especially if the old fogies can learn how to use the software.

The most important thing is that an artistic creative hobby such as photography and writing can prompt us into action and give us something to think about.


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## Ddesmond (Sep 28, 2012)

Beautiful shots and the writing was enthralling.
My wife and I honeymooned in the UP and it has taken up a special place in out hearts ever since.
Thanks.


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## vickinicole (Jul 12, 2013)

wonderful piece to read, it makes me want to see the pictures


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## ClosetWriter (Jul 13, 2013)

vickinicole said:


> wonderful piece to read, it makes me want to see the pictures


Sorry - I had to delete them so I could post more since I had exceeded the sites limit. You can see my photos by clicking on my signature at the bottom of my posts.

~Dave


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## bookmasta (Jul 14, 2013)

I remember taking a photography class at my high school, it has now become one of my many hobbies. I love how one picture can capture a moment in time and preserve it forever.


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