What brings you to sleep outside on a bunk bed, under a mosquito net?

What brings you to sleep outside on a bunk bed, under a mosquito net, to shower with a bucket of water, to work outdoors day after day in the sweltering heat or dig out more mud than you could ever imagine with a horde of strangers thirty years younger than you?

It’s a question I often ask myself as I chase one disaster after another with All Hands Volunteers, a disaster response NGO that extends hands-on assistance to survivors of natural disasters around the world.

Gratitude maybe. The understanding that I have been blessed, what does that mean.  I am not suffering or in pain wondering where I will sleep tonight, tomorrow or if I have a job. But that in itself is …not enough.

I could sit home, in the comfort of my living room, sleep in a warm soft bed, relax and watch TV, eat to my heart’s content…not enough.  Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, says when you have the basic physiological needs: breathing, food, sleep and then are able to move up the pyramid through safety, love/belonging, you reach the remaining elements of esteem and self-actualization.

Is Abraham Maslow right?  Human motivation is based on people seeking fulfillment and change for personal growth.  According to Maslow self-actualized people are fulfilled and doing all they are capable of.  

Hmmm self actualized … No matter what age we all need to feel we are ‘becoming’.  We are not static; we are always in search of the meaning to life.  In Le Petit Prince written by Antoine de St. Exupery, the fox says, “here is my secret. It’s quite simple: One sees clearly only with the heart.  Anything essential is invisible to the eyes… It’s the time you spend on the rose that makes that rose so important—-People have forgotten that truth.”

All Intentions Are Good!?

Most intentions are good but execution can often fail.  So here I stand, humbly apologizing for my failure. My intention was to post weekly but my execution, well it is notably flawed.

Arrived back in Bermuda this past week to glorious sunshine and warmth. Two years in France and a couple of short trips home and I had forgotten how much we should be thankful for on this island nation of ours. Not only do we have some of the best weather in the world but the island dweller is a wonderfully friendly person.

My car has sat in the garage for, well too long, and will not start.  Called my friendly repair shop, Martin’s Precision Automotive. They are so busy there is no way they can get down to St. George to start her up. They recommended Paynter’s Towing and Salvaging.  What a wonderful recommendation! Within an hour of calling ‘Help!’, the car was on the truck and on its way back to Hamilton.  The gentleman I dealt with, I assume Mr. Paynter, was such a friendly, helpful soul.  If Paynter’s intention is service with a smile and ‘good morning’ then he has succeeded.

I smiled to myself as he drove off and thought I really am back home in Bermuda.

Getting There is Half the Fun…

…. what a ridiculous idea!

How long has it been since you thought of creating your very own website?  If you are anything like me and the majority of   humanoids, I will guess…  Forget it, let’s just say a long time.

Not a techie by profession or any other means,  I decided that after spending the ‘golden egg’  to study photography, it was now time to have a site to show everyone what the goose produced.  At best,  if the goose could lay another egg, maybe I could  be on the way to a new career and, fame and fortune. At worst, we would remain incognito, me and my website.

The average gestation period for a human baby is nine months; and the average for a website?  Not sure but feels like a long time.   Talk about labour pains!  Here’s hoping you will not procrastinate and suffer as much as I.

Believe it or not mind over matter is still relevant.  Today there are so many ways to ‘attack’ the website  that only sickly procrastinators, like me,  should have the ability to make a meal and more out of the experience.  Yola, GoDaddy, Weebly….. to name  a few are all available to help the novice work his/her way through the web maze and finally deliver the goods without breaking the bank to get there.

Needless to say there are numerous solutions. For the do-it-yourself type, Adobe’s Dreamweaver, is the better known and ties in very nicely with Photoshop and Lightroom.  However, if you have never approached this side of things you may find it daunting and could be in for some trying times.  For the technically challenged such as myself I can suggest Wix for the photographer and WordPress for the blogger, both of which I have found to be user friendly and intuitive.