Originally, this wasn’t going to be a two part post– but I was inspired by this month’s theme– so bear with me.
I talked about focus two weeks ago in regard to your camera, manual vs. automatic mode, and explained how those relate to photography. But today, I am taking another spin on focus that isn’t entirely about cameras.
This isn’t one of my best images, but it is perfect for what I want to talk about today. See how the back portion of this photo isn’t in focus? That’s called “bokeh” and it’s something photographers strive for in certain situations. Here, I was just practicing while we were making holiday cookies a couple of years ago. This image DOES perfectly capture the front cookie completely in focus, with just portions of the other cookies behind it barely clear to the eye.
Sometimes, I feel like this in everyday life- things in front of me that are begging for my attention are SO CLEAR that everything else just seems fuzzy until I can deal with it. I want to read a book but the kids are up from their nap, or I need to clean off the top of my desk but Brayden’s hamper is overflowing. Sometimes, even my marriage gets put in the “out of focus” region because it is all I can do to be mom all day long, get dinner on the table, everyone bathed, comforted, and in bed before I collapse and have to do it all over again.
So how do we get that focus back? I suppose it’s different for everyone- but here are some ways I can refocus so that EVERYTHING is clear:
- Take some ME time. When the kids nap, I try to take 15-30 minutes to do something for ME. Read, blog, watch tv- just relax. Sometimes it’s tough but it is so necessary.
- Make a to do list of no more than 5 things for that particular day. When I start to feel overwhelmed with my list of to-dos, that is generally a sign that I have my expectations WAY too high. If I break it down, I feel more successful, not as run down, and I am able to clear my head.
- Spend time with the Lord. Giving my worries, fears, and struggles to the Lord is HARD for me- but I find when I do, I am much more focused on the things that are most important.
How do you refocus? I would love to hear!
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