Christopher Kijowski Photography

I really don’t enjoy how fast summer seems to fly by. As much as I love and enjoy the changing seasons, I do not look forward to the need to bring out the winter garments that are so necessary in Western New York. As the weather progressively gets colder I see fewer and fewer people outside enjoying the local parks and walkways. The streets become deserted of pedestrians. People relocate to the warmth and comfort of their home where they remain cocooned until the warmer Spring weather breaks its icy hold.

Summer is a great time of year. I feel free, like I can do and accomplish anything. I love the length of summer days and the beauty of the summer sunrises and sunsets which help punctuate each day. To end a summer day with a beautiful sunset helps to make even the poorest of days a little bit better. As we ready ourselves for the transition to colder weather and shorter days it becomes easy to forget the beauty of Summer and Fall. I often find it necessary to remind myself the memories of Summer do not have to be left behind. They do not need to fade like the leaves on the trees and fall to the ground to be forgotten. I mark the passing of weeks and months by the holidays; Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Then it’s on to the Superbowl and Spring is sure to follow. We get teased when we receive the gift of an unseasonably warm winter day. The sun makes an all to brief appearance and reminds us with its warmth and brightness of the coming warmer weather.

I find that if I when I engage in activities I enjoy during the Winter, it helps the days to pass with greater ease. I also find it is important to remember I have a responsibility to make things happen in my life as I am only limited by what I want to accomplish and how hard I am willing to work to achieve those goals.

As much as I wish I could keep summer hanging around just a little bit longer, so I would be able to spend a few more lazy afternoons hanging out by the Niagara River and some of the local hiking trails and making my way to a few more bonfires and cookouts. The seasons change and I must follow. I must change with them.  That does not mean that I must stop having fun!

Every September, I feel like I start a whole new year.  In some ways September is my “New Year.” I suppose it’s a left over tradition from when I was in school, but it seems to me like September is a perfect month for a fresh start and a renewed zeal for all that is going on.  I refer to September as a starting month for my business and leave January as my marker for the middle of Winter.  One of the things that helps me most in September is making a list of things I love to do and then adding to that a handful of NEW things I WANT to do.

I have listed a few things that help me and may help you to find that creative spark for your life and business.

1.  SMILE: Have your photograph taken; either by yourself or with your spouse or children.

As a part-time professional photographer I am forced to maintain other, full-time employment to support myself and my family and provide that ever important item; health insurance. It doesn’t matter how busy my day was or how tired I am, nothing inspires or energizes me more than having my camera in my hand.  When I do not have my camera in my hand I feel lost.

2. LISTEN: There is much around us which Mother Nature offers to help us meditate upon our day, namely the wind and the rain. Both allow us to see the power of nature should we choose to see and respect her. John Muir asked, “I wonder if leaves feel lonely when they see their neighbors falling?”

3. SEEING: John Muir said about seeing, “Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature’s darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature’s sources never fail.”

4. LAUGH: We don’t spend near enough time smiling or laughing. Too many times we rush about our days paying no attention to anything but our own busy lives. We are full of self-importance and thus forget about our neighbor and what is most important; family. I feel sad for those individuals who struggle to find the time to smile.

5.  Get TOGETHER: Spend time with family and friends for no reason at all! Cherish those relationships and they will grow as will your own relationship with yourself.

Most people get together more often in the summer.  Get togethers don’t have to be large or expensive!  One of my favorite things to do is get four or six friends together for a game night, or a movie night.  Making time to interact and connect with one another on a social level goes a long way towards making me feel like I am part of an extended community.  This might seem counterintuitive, but it also makes me feel relaxed and balanced to devote time to having fun with others.  Somewhere way back, we all learned that FUN was supposed to be a reward for “getting your work done”, which is a dicey proposition for small business owners, as we are never really done!  This year, please don’t let HUMAN interaction be the last thing on your to do list.  Life is too short!

4.  Volunteer: This is one item that really gets me smiling. When I can help someone achieve a goal they might not have been able to achieve on their own is victory. I love being able to see a family smile when they receive photographs I have worked with them to make. That smile is truly priceless!

It is important to laugh often and much. Do it. you won’t regret it.