day dreams swept under the rug...

i have a few goals and dreams. i'm no different than anyone in that regard, and i can be ruthlessly practical about them.

i have one dream that i will not divulge, that i can barely even acknowledge in the light of day. it is so unlikely and so close to my heart that if i go after it and it doesn't work... well, it would be the most painful of all the disappointments and brokenhearted moments.

i'm certain that i'm not the only person with a dream like that, and whenever i see someone who is hurt and suffering, i hope that their pain is not from losing that one secret dream.

life is hard and we are not kind enough to each other, in my opinion. i hope that in the scheme of things, i've helped more than i've hurt, and that if i can, i can help someone reach that secret dream.

we all just want to be happy after all.

tornadoes in town...

this post was written on 4/29. i got distracted and forgot to post it. 

a tornado hit this town last week. i heard the sirens and went out into it anyway. i had a show that i wanted to shoot and i'm not afraid of weather.

our airport was hit and a few neighborhoods in the northwest. i heard about it on the radio, but was too busy for tv or newspapers, so i saw no photos or footage.

monday morning on my drive to work, i kept an eye for airport and was not surprised as i drove past to see the twisted signs and boarded up windows.

what i did not expect was coming upon trees snapped like popsickles sticks, neighborhoods of patchwork blue tarps, and businesses overturned like a lego village knocked off the display table. i veered dangerously close to the other lane.

what i saw affected me and my heart went out to the people who must have still been in shock. that last 10 minutes to work were tough.

as friday dawned full of warmth and promise, i was pleased to put on a service international t-shirt and lend a hand. i was amazed by the amount of people who gathered to help strangers and neighbors. the spirit was quite high among the volunteers and homeowners... and there was a lot of love.