Closer Than it Appears

Do you remember that scene in Jurassic Park, where the T-Rex is running full-speed to chase down a car full of people (to eat them)? The camera pans to the driver's side mirror, at the bottom of which is etched "objects may be closer than they appear." The T-Rex is gaining speed and from the view in the driver's side mirror, if he's really closer than he appears, well, you're dead meat.

I feel the same way about my future. Let me explain.

First, I've taken up a strange obsession with cloudscapes. I've started traveling with my camera and because I spend so much time on the road these days, I catch some interesting cloudscapes. All three here are from my travels and all seem very apropos. So the picture above, will be titled, "Future may be closer than it appears." For the future is coming at me whether I'm ready or not!

When I crested a hill and saw this weather situation, I instantly started humming the Wicked Witch of the West theme (where she's on her bike, riding by the window of the flying house). I thought, "what am I getting myself INTO?" Or maybe it was "Holy schnike, now that's a good way to illustrate the calm before the storm!" It was a great cloud formation, but I couldn't resist the temptation to scan the horizon for a funnel cloud or two. Hence, this photo will be titled, "Driving forward, no matter how scary or irrational it seems."

This particular shot reminded me of the view looking UP through a cresting wave (as though you're laying on the bottom of the ocean). No, I don't spend a lot of time laying on the bottom of lakes, pools, or oceans, but I've done enough underwater handstands to know what the underside of the water's surface looks like. Plus, all those surfing movies have cameras in the water and you're able to see huge waves breaking and rolling over the coral reefs.

Even though I was trying to outrun a severe thunderstorm here, I couldn't stop thinking of that "underside of the water" angle. In my job, I'm still such a newbie and have so much to learn...I feel like I'm looking up at the underside of the water. Yes, that's code for, I'm in over my head. But at least I know it. Getting over the denial is the first step toward healing, right? This photo will be called "I'm looking up through the water but at least I have air in my lungs and I'm propelling myself upward to the surface."

And yes, I outran that thunderstorm. All was well in the end (and I didn't get pulled over for speeding). Despite the life interpretations I find paralleled in cloud formations, I'm in a good place. I still have air in my lungs and I'm propelling myself upward.