Tamworth Farmers’ Market
It is raining cats and dogs as I post this . . . written several weeks ago while at our vacation home in New Hampshire. No markets today – in fact, most everything planned for the weekend is cancelled or postponed due to heavy rains. And it’s chilly – turned the heat on this morning – well short of my 11/1 goal (stretch goal!). Recalling the sunny 70 degree sunny Saturday of a few weeks ago just made me smile. Joy!
For a short time, I thought about becoming a journalist when I grew up. I majored in English Literature and Journalism because I liked to write, (and as my aunt and advisor will tell you, because we ruled out ALL the other majors). My career, oddly enough materialized in the business world – human resources. I did write – a lot – as part of my responsibilities. I wrote job descriptions, policies and procedures, benefit summaries, memorandums, employee communications engagement and other documentation. On the more creative side, I started a couple employee newsletters, wrote some articles for associations I belonged to, have written a few articles on LinkedIn, a few blog”ish” pieces for my current employer (another aunt and mentor – I really lucked out in the aunt department), and some social media, but most of my truly “creative” writing has been limited to the volumes of personal journals I’ve kept over the years. But, I’ve had another “creative” interest all these years as well – photography. Photography has also been an expression for me – just in picture form, not words. I’m not a professional photo journalist – I’ve just always loved taking pictures. I have been documenting my daily life and surroundings for years.
I have a basement full of photo albums that I’d like to digitalize and tens of thousands of photos on my phone and in the Cloud. I still even have a “real” camera. And I look back on these photos often. I pour through the old photo albums in the basement, I sit and look at the pictures on my phone and make digital photo albums. I love the slideshows that my phone creates for me and start most months as I did September, searching “September” in my photo library and reminiscing about moments in time that I’ve captured over the years during the month of September.
I am familiar with the criticism that one should put the camera/phone down and be present. I’ve certainly been guilty of that. I’ve chased sunset pictures without really looking at the sunset. I’ve attended parades (Red Sox Rolling rallies come to mind) when I don’t know if I ever took the camera lens down. My husband, not a lover of photos – especially being in them – will often bemoan when the camera comes out (and will bemoan even louder when I make him look at pictures). He often assumes that I am taking pictures to post on social media. And while I do my fair share of that, I really only post a small fraction of what I capture. Most are just for me to have, but when I do post, I love knowing that the memory will pop up for years to come. And it’s a bonus when I see that some of you “like” it. I “like” seeing your day-to-day happenings too.
So, why am I talking about this now? I attended a Farmer’s Market this morning, a small town simple market that I have attended many times before. But, this morning felt different. I felt energized by the ambiance. How many beautiful, sunny 70 degree Saturdays to you get in September. So, I took some pictures. I spent about an hour there, taking in all the sights, sounds and smells. I people and dog watched, drank a 2nd cup of coffee, and enjoyed the live music. I even dug into the loaf of bread and cheese I had purchased. I bought myself some wildflowers and chatted with people as we lingered at vendor tables. I was extremely present for this experience. I felt happy and at peace. I wasn’t anxious or worrying about anything. So, I was compelled to document the feeling. When I look at these pictures now, and in the future, it won’t be exactly the same, but I will remember some of the sights and sounds, some of the joy that I felt while I was experiencing this. And I’ll wish I had some of that bread and cheese. That is what photos do for me.
I am keenly aware that I am posting this on a professional medium, but my worlds have always blended. So, here are a couple work-related take-aways from my joy today . . .
- My work was never my passion. I groaned at hearing “find something you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life”. If you have achieved that, I’m sincerely impressed and jealous. It wasn’t realistic for me. My advice is to find small ways to use your skills, interests and passions from your personal life in your professional life – and vice versa. For example, in addition to my writing and photography, which I did find ways to use in my career, I love to read. I often drew from knowledge I gained from reading when conversing with clients and networking. Reading, whether it is business related or not, increases your vocabulary, improves your memory and makes you a more well-rounded person in general. I also started a business book club for our senior management team to share my love of reading.
- Make sure you take time for creative outlets outside of work. You’ll help stave off burnout and get those creative juices working for your professional endeavors. I guarantee that it will help your brainstorming sessions. Look what an hour at a Farmer’s Market just did for me.
- Take in the sights and sounds of your workplace. Is your workplace energized? Is it a place where people can use or find their passions? If you took some pictures on any given work day, would you see happy and engaged faces? Would the memory make you smile?
- And most importantly, make time for joy no matter the setting. It might be a funny joke told during a work meeting, a beautiful fall day on a bench eating your lunch, or a Farmer’s Market on the weekend. Embrace it whenever you feel it and remember what you were doing. And – maybe take a picture (insert winky emoji here)!
Submitted by Deborah M. McCormick