Forever and Always

I am a massive believer that everything happens for a reason.

If you have ever had a conversation with me I am sure it has come up once or twice.

You see, with everything that goes on in the world you kinda have to look for a light at the end of the tunnel. It took me years to figure it out, and the years brought me through a lot of pain, heartbreak, arguments, tears and even silence. But with the silence came wisdom and with the pain came experience. Even though it hurt badly in the moment I wouldn’t change most of it for the world.

Prime example, and to get a little bit personal…

My parents divorce.

At the ripe ol’ age of 13 my rents decided to call it quits. I can remember the evening they told us as clear as day and can bring myself to that exact emotional place no problem. It was a massive turning point in my life, and theirs.

Obviously no family break  up is a walk in the park, it was painful and numbing and everything you expect to feel when your entire life is turn upside down. It didn’t help that I was at the prime age for self destruction, and creating desperate attempts for attention was my thing. So I turned to many outlets to channel my anger, fear, resentment etc… and I made a ton of mistakes along the way. I am damn sure I almost gave my parents a million heart attacks (sorry guys xo) but the thing is, I have zero regrets. All those bad decisions led me to the path I am on today. For those of you who have travelled along with me and held on for dear life, THANK YOU… Your strength and encouragement helped me get through the storm.

As much as teenage Becca made it seem like the world revolved around her, It wasn’t just my path that was changing. My parents were starting over too. Eventually they went on to find new loves and even remarried. This was a bumpy road as a teenager but now as an adult I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. I have gained so much more then I’ve lost. My family has grown in ways that have blessed me with 2 new sisters, and 3 brothers! Which now has multiplied to include 11 nieces and nephews from both my blood siblings as well as my newbie/not so newbie step sibs! Not to mention the step parents I have been given, who have taken my brothers and I on as their own and I know will love us until the world ends. Each of them, in their own ways have bent over backwards for us kids and with double the parents means double the support. How lucky can we be?

With that being brought to light, I encourage you to embrace the hardships, live through the pain and take it all in, because you never know what will come from behind the dark clouds when they finally clear.

My family is always MY family, and moments like this one below will always be cherished BUT I wouldn’t want anything different xoxo

Full family pic goals 2016? Finlay/Hines?

IMG_4456

So… moving on.

My entire thought process on this post was made while thinking about my friends back home. Especially the MANY I have made in the last year. You see, I am a collector of people, all the people. If you have ever made me laugh chances are I have kept you in my back pocket 😉

This past year, well almost three years really, have been years of tremendous growth for me. I have reconnected with friends and family from my past, strengthened the bonds with the ones I have carried with me all along and made new relationships with people who have just entered my world. I am so grateful for every single one of you. Each one of your smiles and hugs make my life a million times better and worth living!

I don’t care where you come from, what mistakes you have made, or what trials you face. I care about you. I care about your story , I care about your fears, I care about what makes you happy, sad, angry or even silly.

Sometimes I even care when you clearly don’t.

That can hurt obviously, but within every moment is a life lesson. You were put there for a reason, whether it be a little wee one or part of a bigger picture. Your presence in my life is important on some level and I embrace that. No matter what, I really REALLY want you all to BE HAPPY.

Shit happens, there is nothing you can do about it. You make the choices you make and you live with it. Usually there are no take backs. So take from the moments, move on! Learn! Experience! Be the best human being you can be! If you hurt someone, try to make it right. If you love someone, let them know! If you see passion in someone make sure they are being fuelled with support they deserve.

Hold on to the positive in your life.

You aren’t better then anyone else, and vice versa. We are all phenomenal, we all have hopes and dreams and EVERYONE needs support.It takes more energy to knock someone down then to help them back up 🙂

Share your smile with the world, a stranger may need it more then you think.

xoxo

B

 

 

 

Daydream…. among the shadows

It’s still so funny to me how the smallest things in life can have such huge impact on your way of thinking.

I have always been a day dreamer, often getting lost in my own worlds for as long as I can remember. Walking home from the school bus and taking detours through the woods so I could imagine tiny worlds living around me full of fairies and magical beetles. Even lying in bed at night I can remember my room transforming into far away lands and getting lost in those spaces I created.

As an adult, life has little time for such imagination. Instead of making up magical little worlds I am engulfed in the real one surrounding me. I still catch myself daydreaming many times a day, but I am lost now in more of a pondering state, how this world has been moulded to where it is now.

We are the backbone of a dream, of many dreams. Especially as Canadians, our country is still so young but has come so far. Our not so distant family members settled this land on their hopes and dreams for us, their future and ours.

It’s so crazy to think where we are and to even try to imagine where we truly came from.

As a photographer, my brain has been trained to see light. And that is exactly how I see the world. Light defines the way I look at just about everything. I can say right now, light has often been the gateway to my daydreams.

Walking around this city keeps my brain very occupied. Passing through the casted shadows of the tall buildings to casting shadows of my own upon the streets below me, creating moving, time sensitive, art.

Looking up has also become a thrill to me. I often stare way above our typical line of view and I can say pretty much every time I have it has made me smile. To see the corner of a building being highlighted by the mid afternoon sun is beautiful. The shadows hugging the corners and curves and defining the architectures visual dreams. Stunning.

Shadows are my favourite.

I feel like they hold their very own story, and you have only a small time frame to figure it out. As with life, it goes so quickly and by the time you figure a portion of it out it is time for everything to change again. Do we ever figure it out? Is that a thing? As you feel like you are getting closer the sun is still moving, the shadow is thinning out and your opportunity is fading. So many missed opportunities.

However, there will be another and you will have learnt to move quicker and make better decisions so when that shadow does fade away you will have taken something from that moment and you can bring it forward with you in the development of your dreams.

Dreams, whether they are daydreams or future dreams or even dreams of the past they are exactly what you make of them. No one is ever going to see your dream as you do, they may listen and visualize what you are saying but they have a very different view in their own heads. You have built these dreams out of who you are and who you want to be. Hold them close and be proud of them, grow them and challenge them. They are yours to chase and mould and see through!

On your next walk to work, or the gym, or to get your morning coffee, look up. Take in what you see, no one is seeing it like you are. Take note of that fact. That is YOUR moment. Now later, on your walk home whether it be after a long day at work or spending some time with a friend, look up again. It isn’t going to feel the same, something has changed. The light has moved, the entire feeling you felt before has been transformed. Life kept moving around you. You are standing in the same spot, but everything is different. Take it in again. This moment is yours, take it in…

Life is to short to stand around and daydream yes… but also life is to short to run around with your chin down and to let the world pass you by. Every step you take in every single direction you are surrounded by dreams, let some of them be yours.

 

XOXO

B