The "Ah Ha" Moment

I believe that there is a moment in every passion, every career, every day someone has their "Ah Ha" moment. The moment you feel weightless, a surge of passion just erupts and suddenly whatever you are doing is just effortless. This "Ah Ha" is life changing. Think about the first time you fell in love, you finished a hard task, you worked for something and you are holding it in your hands. My "Ah Ha" is pictured above. I had heard so many mentors and photographers tell me about this one picture that changed their game, their drive and their success. I hadn't had this experience of this one picture game changer, I started worrying, maybe I'm not supposed to follow this hobby of mine, maybe it will never happen.

Let me take you back for a second, About 10 years back my G.G. (great grandma) passed. I had never experienced any sort of death and I believe I was maybe 13 or 14 at this time. Of course I was grieving but I had no idea how to feel or what to say or who to hug. My uncle is pretty computer savvy and he put together the most beautiful slideshow of my great grandparents. As I am watching the pictures run across the screen there was this overwhelming feeling just surging through my core into my hands, my feet, my heart was pounding, The last picture of the slideshow I will never forget. My great grandfather was holding my GG's hand, their backs to the screen as if they were together again headed into their next journey together. That picture has so many emotions, so many representations of strength, love, freedom and for me, passion....I needed to recreate this somehow!

I just lost it when I saw that picture. I grabbed my cousins hand and I just let it out! Now lets fast forward about 5 years to my parents vow renewal. Let me just break something down real quick. Two days until my parents renewal okay?, First, My parents have never had a wedding this was about to be a huge ceremony for my family. Second, We had a few family members fly in for this from out of state. We are down to one day before this wedding and my brother is kicking a pile of plywood and it comes down and snaps his femur in half! Can you imagine??? So now we have the family at our house finishing flower arrangements, my Uncle is cooking up a storm in our kitchen, and my parents are at the hospital holding my little brothers hand as he is screaming in pain.

The Ceremony was pushed back a day, My parents brought my brother home in time to throw on their attire and show up to their own wedding. It was not how my mom imagined her day, And I wanted to do anything to fix it. I could not fix my brothers leg, and I couldn't get the venue of their dreams, but I could take some pictures! I stood next to my mom and I held my flowers and I cried and laughed and dreamed of the day I would meet someone as much as my dad loves my mom. I also documented every moment that I could. Looking through these photos a couple days later, I come across THE picture, My dad holding my moms hand, backs to the lens. Walking into their next journey together filled with love, support, and pure passion. My "Ah Ha" moment. My weightless, I can do this and I should follow this hobby, My erupting passion and core raging emotion all wrapped up in one picture that brought me to tears the same way my great grandparents picture did.

I found my passion in the midst of a crazy event, It was my calm within the storm, and I found that man that loves me as much as my dad loves my mom. Everyday someone experiences their own "AH HA" will today be yours?

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