What an evening this was.  I actually took this photo yesterday, but that is OK as goal is to shoot everyday and that is what I do and the other photo’s will go to my FB page.  So many interesting and inspirational things happened because of this shot.

It is 4.13pm and I am sitting in the lounge chair with daughter and she just starts watching a TV show.  It had been cloudy outside, so I never thought I would get a sunset shot – I look outside and clouds are breaking and I see the sun peeking out.  I look at the clock and know sunset is coming and coming quickly.  I tell my wife that I want to go and I also want the kids to come so they can get out and enjoy the spot I am taking them too.  We get ready, trying to pry my 8 year old daughter from TV when she is 10 mins in…Tough – say no more.  I make a decision – I just turn the TV off and say we are going and we are going now!  In a loving way of course, but I felt strongly about this day.

Lovely and patient wife is driving, 2 kids in back, I am cleaning lenses, watching the sun drip lower and lower.  Getting worried I will miss the shot.  I keep saying, the speed limit is 45 here, so you should be OK, going 5 miles faster :-) . …She knows me too well and can pick up desperation.  Inside I am wanting to scream (FASTER…PLEASE!!!!).  Anyway by the time we get there (15 mins) sun still has plenty of time to get to horizon. Lesson 1 – I kept my patience (barely), but that drive – all the worry about sun going, was wasted.  Unnecessary and wasted those moments of just being in the NOW.  As we get there, kids are in awe, as are wife and I.  Lesson 2 – sometimes just turning off TV and facing the barrage of abuse works out, just FINE.  As long as you have good intentions.

Anyway I worked frantically doing my thing – completely in the Moment and in awe. Kids were having a blast, loving the sunset, the lake and playing with wood and sticks.  Jade actually said – Dad thanks for bringing me here…TV long forgotten.

Anyway after about and hour, sun is gone, getting pretty cold, jump into the car.  Won’t start.  Damn! Tried and tried, no luck.  Must be battery, phone a friend, give them directions and they are on there way.  Thankfully they were home.  So I jump out with camera and take more shots…haha.  Some people would have thought I was nuts.  Remember though, we have a CHOICE – Lesson 3.  We can choose to be irritated and p’eed off and curse our luck.  OR we can say, OK we are not meant to be on the road right now, let’s enjoy the show nature is putting on for us right in front of us. Kids were in their element too as this was a new adventure for them.

Friend arrives, jumper cables attached.  Nothing.  Try for about 10 mins – nothing.  She calls husband for their breakdown service details.  He has to call them and will then call us back. We wait. I decide that perhaps we should just call the Police and get them to place a sticker on the car and leave it overnight, and I will return with a new battery, or tow truck.  Good idea, so I go get my phone and notice the windows are open and battery is flat so they can’t go up.  Wife has put them down, so she could communicate whilst I was in other car.  Now that sucks. Now car will be left with windows open on side of road – rain etc…Friend says “let’s hook up again just to see if it will get the windows up before we desert this place”.  We do that, windows go up and then wife unprompted, tries ignition again. AHH something.  What the heck was that? So we try again and after few more attempts she roars to life.  Hooray.  Friend is happy, wife is happy, kids are happy, I am stoked.

Why am I telling you about this drama?  Just to show you how your thoughts can change the whole situation and how nothing just happens.  So battery dying meant we weren’t meant to be on road – no drama and no need to go off the rails.  Battery not working after jumper cables – sucked, but then if it wan’t for the windows being down, we would never have tried again and would have had a couple of hundred dollars towing bill.  Lesson 4 – No coincidences.  In my opinion, it was absolutely meant to happen and everything unravelled perfectly. What’s more, friend invites us to their house for dinner and movie.  Perfect.  Great company, great food, kids are in heaven, dancing to Xbox Kinetic, Mothers too – no movie, Xbox instead.

By the time we got home at 9.45.  We had been gone for 5 hours and the kids were absolutely stoked.  Best evening ever they said.  It could have been so different – could have sat on sofa, watched TV with kids, missed the sunset, gone through regular dinner, bath, bed routine, missed out on adventure, good company and lots of fun.  What a gift. All because of project 365! Love IT!

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