Blindly Navigating this Thing Called Life by alophoto

Blindly Navigating this Thing Called Life

It's a dark and scary place to be sometimes. Especially when you are little and your mom makes you walk ahead while she stays behind to shoot photos of you in the dark tunnel. I am glad that we are really not going through life blind and that I was just a few steps behind her.

I am super proud of my kids today, especially my Emily. I was recently telling you how she can be a big challenge to me with her moody, difficult personality. Well yesterday, she melted my heart with her extreme sweetness and compassion. She was taking in her money for the book fair to buy a book that she was excited to get. The other night she got extra money and was planning to buy more stuff for herself. And here is what she said yesterday morning before going to school, "Mama, I was thinking about this in bed, and I want to buy something for Elizabeth (her school bus friend) with my extra money. She was punished and her mom isn't letting her get anything at the book fair. I want to help her feel better and do what God wants me to do." Such selflessness and maturity for a 7 year old kid.

Home with a sick Clara today and a headache from lack of sleep. Laying low...

Thanks so much for your fabulous response to my heron flyover photo yesterday. You blew me away with your kind comments, faves and love!!

And this tunnel wasn't so dark and scary, it actually opened up to a bit of heaven on earth you may remember from the other day: http://365project.org/amandal/365-year-2/2013-10-21 I was just mixing it up a bit and having some fun with my edits. I like eerie tunnel shots.
There is an eerie feel to this image but I did like your story.
October 24th, 2013  
Wonderful photo to illustrate your thoughts... and how selfless your little girl's act of kindness... bless her! And I hope you and Clara are feeling better in no time...I can identify with lack of sleep ... 15 minutes at most last night... :(
October 24th, 2013  
I am Faving this ... love your thoughts and completely agree with the navigating life ... sometimes even I ... with all my grow up years .. find it unnerving ... your image really brings that "scary" feeling to life brilliantly ... for a strange reason I find this very compelling and evocative - am instantly drawn to it ... massive FAV!!
October 24th, 2013  
Fav, stunning shot and great commentary!
October 24th, 2013  
Hope you are feeling better Amanda. Very nice shot. The use of the cramped, dark space does elicit a feeling of despair. But then! You can see the open light and hope of breaking free! Yay!!
October 24th, 2013  
Another beautiful capture. Love the composition and lighting. Fav. I pressed the button 6 times just to make sure. :)
October 24th, 2013  
haha, what we force our kids to do for a good photo ;)
Lovely quote about your daughter :)
Have some rest for your headache !
October 24th, 2013  
ohhhhhhhhh was it a training camp for Halloween?? lol I'm sure you are proud of your little heart of gold girl. How sweet was that?!
October 24th, 2013  
Lovely shot!
October 24th, 2013  
Aah, she does look rather lonely and scared in that tunnel! But glad to see it is actually very lovely on tbe other side. How lovely that Emily showed her kind nature in such a lovely way.
October 24th, 2013  
Great framing and light.
October 24th, 2013  
Ha ha, very dark and sinister - love the b&w processing! : )
October 24th, 2013  
@rennes Isn't that funny? It was so cute. But yet, tunnel shots are typically more sinister and I went with it. Here she is wearing a zebra hoodie with ears, and I made it all creepy like. I did rather like the result, though. Thanks, Lisa!!
October 24th, 2013  
Lovely silhouette
October 24th, 2013  
Yes a bit scary, like life really if you think about it too hard! What a sweet little girl you have - we can learn a lot from children.
October 24th, 2013  
Definitely a cool, dark shot! And what a sweet, sweet thought from your daughter. (And what's up with that mom? Punishment by removal of book fair buying seems pretty public and awful.)
October 24th, 2013  
Love the feel of this. Great shot.
October 24th, 2013  
Caz
Lovely shot and story, your little Emily is so sweet and thoughtful ! Hope you and Clara feel better soon :)
October 25th, 2013  
Looks frightening, great story.
October 25th, 2013  
Kev
Great framing Amanda, and she looks so vulnerable. Great shot.
October 25th, 2013  
Love this and her thoughtfulness. sweet.
October 25th, 2013  
How frightening to think that some are left on their own and they do have to, "Blindly Navigate This Thing Called Life". Thank goodness our parents or a parent took us by our little hand and showed usthe way! And even then there were some difficult times. Great picture story Amanda!
October 25th, 2013  
Lovely photo full of emotion.
October 25th, 2013  
cool
October 25th, 2013  
awwwhhhh! such a sweet thing...kind of goes with your story....how you sometimes struggle with her stage in life...but there it is! light at the end of the tunnel! she is a sweetheart!
October 25th, 2013  
Oh man, Emily's little story of selflessness really touched my heart - it's within her and it's beautiful - she's discovering the love of God for herself and spreading it to others. So special.

I love this shot - that tunnel is a winner, definitely! Great processing. Fav
October 25th, 2013  
Love the silhouette and dark/light contrast. Beautiful framing too, well just love it all!
October 25th, 2013  
Very moving image! Love your story....one you'll always remember fondly!
October 25th, 2013  
Joe
Definitely a creepy eerie feel to it. Nicely composed and processed.
October 25th, 2013  
Great capture,very eerie!!Congrats on the TT,very well deserved!!
October 25th, 2013  
@carolmw Thanks so much, Carol. You are very kind!!:)
October 25th, 2013  
@gailmmeek Thanks so much for your kind comments and fav, Gail!! I had to share that sweet story and brag on my girl. Melt your heart material.

@losthorizon I've heard that sometimes the button works better with a stick;-). Thanks, Beau. You are the best!

@carys Thanks so much for the sweet words and fav, Carys. I love your name!! Yours was a character in a book I read and I considered it for one of my girls names.

@friend2303 You are so stinkin' good to me, Vijay. Thanks so much for enjoying my work this week. I was somehow really on this week. I think it was my best 365 week ever...yet with no PP's. I had 4 images with 20+ faves. Today I finally made PP with the heron shot after 43 faves and the selfie that never made PP made it on TT. Never have I had a TT without a PP. Crazy week. Thanks for your great support, my friend!!
October 25th, 2013  
Haha ... serves you right ... for being so good to me ... lol ,,,,Congrats on the TT Amanda - seen it these morning (and somehow instantly recognized it :-)) ... I think my experience this week with PP underlines what we had talked earlier ... its a just the program ... I had 3 PPs with 14-15 favs this week ... but thats only because my overall "score" had dropped lower and my "score" for these pics was better ... anyways TT is based on overall Favs and not any self-comparison .. so that is awesome ... I have that happen earlier ... !! Mantra - if you can't make PP ...make TT :-)
October 25th, 2013  
@friend2303 I really tried to suck this week. I had planned to. I just got really lucky I guess. And you got all the PP's:)! Happy weekend, man!
October 25th, 2013  
@amandal I did better at sucking than you .. haaha ... seriously though ... even though it could feel a little unfair ...whatever the "PP" logic is I usually love the images there and think they are deserving of a larger audience .. so its all good fun :-)
October 25th, 2013  
@friend2303 You so don't suck:). It's all good. Happy Friday!:)
October 25th, 2013  
LOve her slump poster. Can feel the uncertainty.
October 25th, 2013  
I know this is your daughter but it's quite a spooky shot. Really great editing xx
October 25th, 2013  
Wonderful silhouette.
October 26th, 2013  
Fantastic tunnel shot. I love how it frames the silhouette.
October 26th, 2013  
A great shot and are kids not just the most amazing things ever!!!!
October 26th, 2013  
very dramatic shot! perfect composition and love the silhouette!
October 26th, 2013  
Emily needs a little monkey tail here in her hands...
October 27th, 2013  
@bobfoto It's Clara actually, though the story was about Em. what a way to creepy up what would have been a cute photo, huh?
October 27th, 2013  
@amandal - nah ah, I thought it looked like her little hood had ears and I thought a tail would be gorge!

Oh and I love these umbrellas.
http://365project.org/bobfoto/365/2012-06-09
October 27th, 2013  
@bobfoto I almost lost a friend by typing what a great shit of our city rather than shot. I caught that shit right in time! shew. I'm babysitting...we swapped date nights with good friends and I am worried that the dog is gonna die on my watch! he can't walk and I had to hoist him up and it took me 4 or 5 tries. he 's huge. Poor buddy.
October 27th, 2013  
@bobfoto It's a zebra hoodie:)...it was em's but she got sick of it fast.
October 27th, 2013  
@amandal - That's why I thought it was Em....

Oh poor Buddy, I remember when my dog needed assistance to get up only to sit down 3 metres later :(
October 27th, 2013  
@bobfoto And poor me, I hurt my back. he keeps whimpering and a kid upstairs keeps looping Soul sister.
October 27th, 2013  
@bobfoto We are on hearing it 3 times....I am so behind in comments and replies it's ridiculous! overwhelmed by responses this week! hey soul sister...
October 27th, 2013  
@amandal - poor buddy :(
October 27th, 2013  
@bobfoto Me or dog or both?
October 27th, 2013  
How sweet and lonely at the same time. Great capture and good job to your model too!
October 27th, 2013  
An evocative and thought provoking image Amanda, am myself in a contemplative mood today... i try to avoid "shot" for the same reason! :-)
October 27th, 2013  
I've seen enough horror movies where kids are what you have to watch out for or you end up dead... this image conjures up scenes from movies like that. RUN!!!!!!! ;) succa
October 27th, 2013  
@jsw0109 Isn't it nuts what processing can do?! This was a sweet image before I messed with it. Sweet makes me want to puke sometimes. I wanted it Halloweeny:). Thanks, Jeff.
October 27th, 2013  
@amandal I get that... sometimes "cute" causes cavities. :)
October 27th, 2013  
And I loved this one too. So much! Sweet girl.
October 28th, 2013  
@darylo Aw, thanks so much, Daryl!!:)
October 28th, 2013  
this is nice, kiddo. you're teaching your kids well, smile!
October 28th, 2013  
Very cool shot - gold star to mom - seems like you're doing a pretty darn good job ;)
October 28th, 2013  
@summerfield @helixconcepts I try...though it doesn't seem like I am doing so well at times. It's nice when things like this help prove that good things and lessons are sticking with her. Thanks, ladies!!
October 28th, 2013  
i like eery tunnel shots too! hope you and Clara are much better by now... your little Emily sounds like a total gem :)
October 29th, 2013  
Nice one, I like the contrasts in this. Hope all are well now.
October 29th, 2013  
@northy She can be such a gem...and then the biggest pistol. She is a piece of work, my girl. Oh how I love her! Thanks, friend!!

@seanoneill I had fun with this process. Getting better. Her asthma sucks. It seems to knock us out for fall and winter and spring. Oy!! Thanks, Sean!
October 29th, 2013  
Very creepy cool. Love it.
October 31st, 2013  
@edie I just HAD to make it creepy! Thanks so much, my friend!
November 1st, 2013  
Bless her.
November 2nd, 2013  
great shot!
November 3rd, 2013  
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