It seems like I’m constantly learning new things about myself. Just when I think I’ve got myself all figured out, I find out something new. You’d think after 40+ years of living with myself, I’d be done with surprises.

My latest bit of self-discovery has been that I lose interest in taking photos when life gets tough. After my mom passed away about ten years ago, I stopped taking family photos for probably a year. I thought at the time it was simply because she was the person I shared my photos with, and since she wasn’t around anymore, it seemed rather pointless.

But I’ve found that with the current things happening in my life, it’s probably been about three years since I’ve really picked up a camera and found myself enjoying the process of taking photos.

Last week something in me “clicked” and I found myself wanting that camera in front of my face again. Suddenly cats and kids and flowers became a source of joy for their photographic qualities.

I even piled the kids in the car the other evening and took them all to a favorite beach specifically because I wanted to take sunset photos and some photos of the kids playing in the water and the sand.

Now don’t get me wrong … I don’t think I’m any sort of budding professional photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but taking pictures is something I’ve always enjoyed. But I’ve discovered as I look back at my life, that when life gets rough, the photo “bug” packs up and leaves my house.

I think it’s interesting that I’ve got the photographic “itch” again. Maybe it’s a good sign …. perhaps life really has settled down into it’s “new normal” at long last.