I'm Moving!!

Hello there...to the few of you that still read me, I am delighted to inform you that "My Life in Photos" is moving. Don't worry, this page will remain live, but I will no longer post here. I instead will be posting here --> at https://tanzitravels.wordpress.com.
See you there! :)

| OriGinAlitY |

We often get so caught up in our own lives and in the heat of a moment that we forget there are other people who function in the same ways that we do - similar thought processes, similar reactions, similar perspectives. We forget that it's okay to be different. And we forget what it's like to walk a mile in another's shoes.                 ~~~

Footprints in the sand. - Outback of the Northern Territory, Australia

In today's society, people are more concerned about the latest trend, who their best friend is dating...thinking about themselves rather than others. So many times throughout a week, I find people putting others down, taunting one another because of one's musical preferences, food choices, clothing styles, what have you. We've lost the respect that we once had, not only for our elders, but for each other. It's a common problem I see more in teenage/young adult life and is seeming to grow rapidly as time progresses. People have become so hostile towards each other, defending themselves when comments and opinions are flung their way. We discount others' feelings because it won't directly affect our own. Yet, in a world where everyone's trying to change you, being you and being different is the best thing you can do for yourself. I think more people should live by the quote, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." - Henry David Thoreau. If I've learned one thing over the past 5 years, it's to be who you are and not let others get to you. As Bernard Baruch would say, "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." There's so much truth in these statements. Life is a personal matter that everyone gets to experience and cherish in their own way. Don't let someone else's definitions and expectations mold who you are, your thoughts and actions into something that isn't genuinely you. Life's too short to just waste away by following someone else's commands. Live for yourself...live for the moment. Live for right now, because nothing is ever certain.

Cirrus clouds over the St. Francis Quadrangle with a touch of fall.
- University of Missouri - Columbia

Time passes too quickly to let the world tell you how you should be. There's not enough time to keep up with the current fashion trends, to go to every popular music group's concert, to cry over the person that doesn't love you back. Being yourself and doing your own thing in a world that pulls you in different directions, tests your limits and tries to mold you into something you're not makes it difficult, but it's not impossible. Find the courage to break away.
I've never understood the push for normalcy. The constant need for homologous-ness, if you will. If variety is the spice of life, why aren't we celebrating that? Why do we not encourage and nurture our specialties into something that betters the whole? No one ever stops to take a second glance anymore, that's why. Take time to stop and smell the roses. Anymore, differences are noticed for a moment, then suppressed and classified as "weird" or "not normal." The variety that tries to break out is quickly silenced. It's frustrating, to me, that we're encouraged to be ourselves and to be different; yet, the world has so many predetermined roles and stereotypes that we're forced to try and fit into. It's hypocritical. It's unrealistic. It's infuriating. What this world needs is more people who don't care about fitting into those molds, who love running against the grain and who aren't afraid to be themselves. We need people who are accepting and encouraging of differences. After all, variety is the spice of life...without it, the world loses it's special touch.

A Heart Flutter

Funny thing about a kiss, how it leaves you hanging on.
To feel the outline on your lips, long after they're gone.
That single moment…that rush of blood.
The flash of a smile that makes you fall in love.
A silence and beauty of an act so small,
Kept secret between each other, knowing that you'll fall.
Heart racing, mind whirring, the longing for more,
Stopped short when you wake up, dreams slipping away under the door.

That moment - still frozen - in the back of your mind,
Locked there forever to revisit time after time.
Yet still you can taste the traces of mint,
It's there ever so subtly...just barely a hint.
It's hard to believe sometimes that it's true,
Never having to argue whether or not the sky's blue.
No longer scared to say what you think,
Knowing it won't all be lost in simply a blink.

The way that we laugh and spend up time,

Forcing my feelings to spin into rhyme.

The effortless way we interact with such grace,

Please trust your heart enough, let your head fall into place.

The battle between the heart and the mind,

Is something so delicate, leaving us nearly blind.

Don't get tied up on words you're scared to say,

Emotions run deep, a price we're happy to pay.

Each beautiful moment and soft, gentle touch,

Actions speak loudly, it's all so much.
Sometimes I feel like my heart could explode,
Conflicted, yet happy, aware of emotion I've never showed.
It's funny how one moment can shape what's to come,
Too careless to think about what's already been done.
The difficulties are a given, they're bound to test,
Simply weeding out what's not for the best.

Skeptical of things ruined by the past,
Thinking up questions I've never before asked.
To think that we hide, running scared from the truth,

Our best years are now - fully living out our youth.

But remember no matter the time together we spend,

There's never seems enough when there comes an end.
The fear of a heart that could shatter once more,
Pieces I finally picked up, scattered all over the floor.

Even now when there's clouds covering up the blue sky,

I trust that none of this could ever be a lie.

Etsy Shop!!!

I have created an Etsy shop showcasing a few of my pictures! I'd encourage everyone to check it out and share it with their friends, family, acquaintances, etc.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/iZnat

 

A Memory, of Sorts...

Tractor tire prints in the dirt on the farm. - Cedar Creek, Nebraska.

If you would've told me a few years ago how drastically my life would change, I would've laughed you out the door and into next Tuesday. Never in a million years would I have thought I would ever see my world get turned in so many different directions...lifted, dropped and twisted around, only to change for the better - and contrary to the opinions of others, Even though there were lows and highs, I wouldn't change a bit of it for anything.
After graduating high school, no one was more excited than I was to move on with life and to start fresh; however, my mind was just set on making it through the summer. Little did I know that from this point on, my life would never be the same. The next thing I know, I'm sitting on a Qantas flight out of LAX into Sydney, Australia. I thought I knew what I was getting into, having been to Australia the year before with People to People Ambassador Programs. However, National Geographic Student Expeditions took it to a whole new level. I had read the brochures and handouts that I was given prior to departure, yet what they all failed to tell me was the multitude of knowledge that I would acquire, the new friends that I would make (and still keep in touch with to this day) and how I would lose myself completely, only to find a better me...all in less than a month's time. None of the pictures that anyone could've shown me would've really opened my eyes to the beauty of all that I would experience - and that was what made it all the more special. The beginnings of this dramatic change that took place in my life is unexplainable. I don't even know how to describe it to myself while looking back on it all. I just know that I could relive every second of it over and over again and never be tired of it. I know it was a good thing. The moments I was most scared of are now my favorite memories to recall and are the turning points of my transformation. It seemed that it was all over in the blink of an eye. But it's treasured forever in my heart. Once back at home, reality started to hit me - I hadn't seen or talked to anyone from my graduating class. My first reaction was "is this normal?" I didn't know...and after some time, realized I didn't care enough to actually ask. You have to let go to move on, right? Nothing wonderful ever came from holding onto the past. All I knew was that I was completely happy with life now - that I was headed somewhere up and away from all the negativity I had experienced before. I was ready for anything that life was about to throw my way. I was soaring...I craved that fresh start and drastic change that college was going to give me.

I was quickly moved into college and wished good luck. While in that moment I thought luck was the last thing I would ever acquire, it turned out that it was with me all the time. Being happily accepted into a sorority, getting along fairly well with my roommate and making it to all of my classes, I would say that first semester was looking up. Yet, everyday was a new battle to me. Trying to overcome my shyness and insecurities wasn't something that was very successful for me while living all on my own. There were plenty of phone-calls home that consisted of many tears followed up by words of reassurance on the other end of the call. I knew that things would get better - I believed they would. Eventually, I ventured out of my room and met people. Everyday from that point on I had a new reason to love my school and feel positive about what I was doing with my life. I finally felt happy - like I was going somewhere. But who knew that freshman year could fly by so fast? As the summer before sophomore year sped to a close, it was easy to see how much better my life had become in such a short amount of time. It was truly unbelievable…and I didn't think that it could get any better from there. Yet again, I was mistaken. The transformation of shy-insecure-freshman me into a less shy-insecure-timid me was great, but apparently it could get better.
Sophomore year commenced and so did another self-transformation. At first, I was so afraid and negative about living in a sorority house with nearly 70 other women. Who knew that in over a week's time I would be closer than "white on rice" with a good bunch of them. These girls are really my sisters and I couldn't imagine my life at college without them. Looking back on freshman year, I see a small, shy, introverted girl, constantly held back by walls she built up on her own to shut things and people out. I realized that she was merely a shell of a person that I had left behind…a memory, of sorts…an image of who I once was, of someone I never wanted to return to being. The amount of happiness I felt inside of me and outside of me overflowed - and continues to do so. I guess you could say that I'm glowing. There aren't a lot of things that can wipe the smile off of my face nowadays. I've come so far, yet I've only begun. It's exhilarating. I've never felt more alive.
Now, while there had been plenty of what some people would call "downfalls" in my life, there have also been an overabundant amount of successes - even in such a short amount of time since this great transformation. Granted, I have lost touch with so many people that I thought I would never lose contact with, yet I believe that it was all for the better. I wouldn't have my life any other way. Who knew there was so much more room to grow? Who knew experiences that I thought were awesome, could be better? I guess that's the funny thing about life though…you challenge it and it soars higher, past all expectations. Time is truly a wonderful thing if you take your hands off the wheel long enough to enjoy the ride…and I can't wait to see what's next.

You Are Here.

In life, you're given a lot of opportunities to be a lot of different things. Early on, we're consumed with school, our social lives and our plans for the future. The constant push towards tomorrow is always prevalent. It's basically become a normalcy of everyday life. What will you be doing tomorrow?, What would you like to be when you grow up?, What's for dinner?, Where are we going?, etc. It becomes a daily challenge to think about the present because no one ever stops to do so. We should constantly be reminded of the quote - "Yesterday's history, tomorrow's a mystery, but today is a gift...that is why it's called the present." Thinking about the future is beneficial, but only in some instances. Other times, we should slow down and enjoy the gift of now. How are we to prepare for the future if we're not fully present in and aware of what's happening currently? But when things slow down and we get a free minute, we start to reminisce about how things were once upon a time. Reliving our greatest moments, while it can be fun, is something that should be saved for when there's nothing left to think about. Look to make better moments and create greater times to look back upon someday. At the end of the day, you should be able to smile and laugh as you rethink it all...proud of what has past.
So, slow down. Enjoy the stillness. Take a deep breath. You are here. Enjoy it! Feel the wind move around you, hear the birds chirp overhead, smell the freshly cut grass, feel the warmth of the sun, see the bright colors all around you. How can we continue to pass this up day after day? Cooped up in an air conditioned box...with only a window to the beautiful world that awaits us. Do something in life that you love, something that makes you happy. Do something everyday that scares you, you'll feel more alive. Change it up! Life may seem like a long journey, of which it is, but it's far too short to be wasted. I want to be like a bird...I want to fly high! The freedom, the views, the places you can go. Too many things in life seem to have the power to hold us back and too many people believe that we're confined by the walls we've built up for ourselves. Break free. There's more to life than what most people believe.
Keep in mind that sometimes it's better to slow down for a while and enjoy the gift of now. After all, "now" is only here for a fleeting moment before it's gone. How do you want it to be remembered?

Walking Through Space

4 June 2013
If I could walk among the stars,
Oh, the secrets that they hold.
No one really understands -
Why our dreams are all so bold.
There'd be so much room and space to breathe,
Yet we'd all seem really close.
Light traveling fast from star to star,
But the time forever slows.
Our lives like black holes -
Endless unknowns...
Keeping thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears,
Our boundaries within the throws of stones.

*   *   *

If we could walk between the galaxies,
If we could dance among the stars...
How much clearer life would be to us,
All our troubles cast afar.
With nowhere to hide,
Our dark sides losing their masks.

Maybe we'd see each other as equals...
Funny how something seemingly difficult proves an easy task.
Our secrets forgotten -
Like the darkness of night,

No one to feel left out and alone,
We're all finally finding the light.

*   *   *

At the end of the day we can look back and think,
To truly see how far we've come.
Small things will multiply and stack,
After a while we see what we'd really begun.
The pages of our lives rewritten over and over,
Mistakes and hurt are never really gone.
We forgive and forget, prancing from one star to the next,
But the time of yesterday is back so long.
When you close your eyes and think of times past, what is it you remember most?
Maybe the memories where you felt alive, where you shone the brightest,
Or the ones where you fell from grace, the time you picked yourself up and carried on - when you showed strength.
You cross the finish line fast and turn around to see, how important everything really seemed to be,
For it's not how fast you ran the race, but 'twas the longest way to traverse life's length.

Sunset out on the farm. - Nebraska

Praying for Boston: A Reflection of Recent Events

Part of the Alluvia Fan in Rocky Mountain National Park - Estes Park, CO

16 April 2013
Throughout our lives we are taught to love our enemies as we love ourselves. To "[d]o unto others as you would have others do unto you" [Matthew 7:12]. We're taught to lead by example and to show kindness to others in every way that we can. Yet if we look at the world today, there seems a common flaw...there's perpetual conflict. People possess a hatred - fueled mainly by governments and false information - toward countries, groups and people. No one wants to sit down and talk about their problems anymore. No one wants to listen. I believe that most of the people that have such issues are misinformed. There are people who would rather inflict pain and suffering onto others in order to bring them to their level of hurt rather than talking about it. It is this disconnect that I see as a crack in the foundation of humanity in the world today. What we need is a more peaceful understanding between not only our neighbors, but also with all our enemies, international friends and foes. It's vital that we learn to love each other, absolutely vital. We're all we have here on earth. Life is too short for conflict, fighting or tragedy. I can't think of anyone who supports conflict - no one wants to deal with hatred, heartache, or suffering. Strive for peace. Hope for happiness. Pray for change.

Farmland - Western Nebraska

Disney's Pocahontas once said "Look around you. This is where the path of hatred has brought us." It's brought us to a place of judgement, fear, solitude and sadness. Which path do we want to choose moving forward? I want to walk down the road of understanding and see the sights of unity. I want to see the good in all people. "For God, who said 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ" [2 Corinthians 4]. I believe we are to share this light with the world, to share God's love and bring comfort to others. In this way, all people can be brought out of darkness. Look around again...See that couple cozied up in the café smiling at one another? Hear the children giggling as their parents push them higher and higher on the swings in the nearby park? Smile at the fact that the old man reading the newspaper next to you still proudly wears his shiny wedding band. Acknowledge the fact that the person you just passed on the sidewalk smiled and asked how you were. Notice how different everyone is from you, then realize how much you're all the same. The desire to laugh and feel loved, the need to smile at a stranger to brighten their day. While there are so many people who care and want to help make the world better, there are equally as many who are determined to do just the opposite. This serves as a sort of challenge throughout everyday life - helping other people to see the world in a wonderful way...the way that it should rightfully be perceived.

A kitten lays in the skimmer on a hot summer day - Rural Nebraska

As much as I'd like to believe that the world and its inhabitants are flawless, it's not true. Terrible things happen everywhere, every single day. These things can happen to anyone. People make mistakes and we must learn to forgive them. "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you" [Colossians 3:13]. When tragedy, such as the events of the Boston Marathon, befalls us, it's in that time that people come from all over and unite. All of our backgrounds, personalities, religious beliefs, political affiliations, etc. are put aside for a little while and we manage to become a cohesive unit. People rejoice in the fact that we can have such a close bond; however, no one thinks about continuing this bond after the impact of the tragedy has died out. We come together for a little while and then are separated again by the strains of everyday life. It's inspiring for a little while - to see how far an outstretched hand can reach, the power behind a smile and the kindness behind simple words. The world is a beautiful place - Louis Armstrong even agrees with me. There are so many things in this world - even in your life - to be thankful for and appreciative of. I can only hope that one day there will be peace and understanding among all people on earth...that we will all finally love one another the way that we love our neighbors and ourselves.

*God bless*

Fighting the Blank Page

10 April 2013

Female Cardinal in a Pine tree - Columbia, Missouri.

Inspiration is like air...it's always present but it's not always easy to get ahold of. Being able to put things into words and memories into pictures is hard and many people struggle with this feat. When it comes to writing, I often times find myself fighting against the blank page before me. I see this as a challenge that nearly everyone faces at some point in their lives. However whether this be on paper or in the grand scheme of life, it's something that we all learn to overcome at one point or another. At first it takes a while to find something that's inspiring to us...we try to work inside the lines... tailoring our thoughts and actions to fit the mold of what's expected in the real world. Eventually, the lines can't hold what we love anymore and we're forced to make a decision - to take that leap of faith - into the unknown, hoping that there's more beyond what we've been told. This is where I find most people to be stuck. As humans, we don't like the unknown. This is why we own planners, keep tabs of events in our lives on our smartphones, etc. Once those boundaries are broken and we venture into the unknown, inspiration and opportunities come flowing in from all around.

"The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step..."

In life, we're always concerning ourselves with how far ahead we can get from our competitors. The more I experience of the real world, the more I see this task as futile. People should be able to work for something they love and not have to worry about where everyone else stands around them. Life is too short to worry about what can hold you back. The lines that constantly keep us from exploring more are just guidelines, rather than rules of the road. Fighting the blank page of life is easier than we think. While it sounds cliché, the easiest way to overcome it, I think, is to just close your eyes and breathe for a little while...clear your head. In order to think clearly you must see clearly and, more often than not, everyday life gets in the way of it all.

3 March 2013

"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy.' They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." - John Lennon
 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lots of people ask the same question of life...what is its purpose? The answers vary, but I think that instead of limiting the question to require a single meaning, I believe that there should be multiple answers. Life is full of endless opportunities and things that need to be accomplished. Live fearlessly, with no regrets and your life will be one worth recounting. There are so many important things to keep track of and to enjoy, I hate missing even just one small thing. There are so many different things in this world that need to be experienced by everyone on this planet. Each person has a right to a long, beautiful and satisfying life - no matter what your predicament is. Every opportunity starts off with a dream and grows from there. From then on, it takes hard work and perseverance to go forward and accomplish each dream. Life is just a giant bucket list to me. When I finish one thing that I've wanted to do, I move on to the next exciting thing on my list to conquer. Each item making me stronger than I ever was before.

Each person has a little flame of hope and determination inside of them. However, some people's burn brighter than others and some are easier extinguished than the more determined souls in this world. From what I've seen and experienced in this life so far, the world, in general, can be brutal and harsh. We all want the same thing essentially, why can't we all just see that? Being loved, caring for others - it's really not that hard. One act of kindness breeds another and before you know it, the world would be so much more kind. Lots of people say that such a world will never be possible, but not if people think like that. I want to live a happy and productive life where I am able to impact someone else's life, or other people's lives, in one way or another, in order to make the world just a little bit brighter...so that tomorrow will always be better. No one in this world deserves to have their flame of hope and happiness extinguished because everything in the world is possible. The biggest task is just setting your mind in the right place and knowing where to start from.