It’s really easy to get sucked into a pit of despair and hopelessness, especially now, but it’s just as easy to change that narrative and see love, light and positivity. I had to change a lot of elopement, wedding and surprise proposal plans this week. Change is really hard for many people but I feel lucky to be someone who embraces changes and sees challenges as opportunities. That isn’t always easy, but nothing that’s worth anything is.
A lot of changes are happening right now, we are living in a way that we are not accustomed to. This new world is strange and foreign to us and it’s difficult to calm the fear surrounding our new day-to-day life. Adventure elopement dates may have changed, and your small wedding might actually be an elopement now, or maybe you haven’t figured out yet how to change your surprise proposal plan. Uncertainty isn’t easy, so I try to place importance on what really is certain.
Living with Uncertainty
What is certain? People still have a tremendous amount of love. Even if my elopement and proposal photography is put on hold, there is still so much love out there and I know this time will pass. I will be out there again photographing and guiding elopements again. That time isn’t right now, but I am not going to get caught up in the unsecurity of my own paycheck. I am going to focus on love. Because I truly love my work and my clients, I am going to ask them to stay safe and stay home and ride this out until I am able to paddle along a lake with them, hike a mountain and be back to shooting adventure elopements again, because I love them and want to protect their safety and their emotional experience.
We’re living in this uncertain time where we are unsure about how we are supposed to interact with each other, and where we are allowed to be and how we are allowed to be. In these days, I know that I am meant to be there for you, to tell your love story and I see how much I really care about what I do. I am so grateful to be here for you as your elopement photographer, to help you plan or reschedule a day that is full of love.
In the meantime how can we ride out this time of uncertainty? It wasn’t easy to feel okay about the Covid-19 pandemic at first. The last few days of my guiding job at Grand Canyon were really tough. I was and still am worried about the visitors that chose to come after we started to understand the severity of the virus. I couldn’t sleep, I felt sick and distraught. You can’t really feel fear and love at the same time, so I chose love.
Choose Love, Not Fear
I made the choice to place emphasis on my relationships with people, even if I couldn’t touch them. I called people, I checked in and even did a few Facetimes, something I usually hate, and I started to feel better as I transitioned from fear to love. I reached out to my booked clients and talked with them about their elopements, rebooked what I could and supported their decision to re-schedule or not.
Take Care of Yourself
Self-care is important more now than ever, I moved away from feeling sorry for myself and the world and looked at the quarantine as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to tune-in to this gift of life. With the threats to health resulting in possible death, it’s almost easier to appreciate life and to be fortunate to be alive. I decided to balance my days between healthy yoga, reading and learning and art. I chose a different path and a path of love.
Start your day with saying: I am grateful and the rest will follow. Be grateful and happiness ensues, even in this challenging time, if you choose love you will be winning.