Capturing Life and Chasing Zen

the whole "zen" thing

My name on Instagram is Chasing Zen. People ask me all of the time...What does that mean? 

They wonder if I'm Buddhist or if I meditate every day or whatever. Um, no. Here's the skinny: To be ZEN (to ME) just means to be present. It may have more components to it and I've read different books about ZEN and all of the meanings, but what it means to me is just simply being present to my life as I'm living it. 

The reason I named the blog Capturing Life and Chasing Zen is because I love to capture life with my camera and I am constantly trying to remind myself to be present while life is happening. My brain is always in overdrive...jumping from one thought to the next. If you read about ZEN, it's called "monkey mind." 

Anyway, that's all. I'm no master of ZEN. I have hardly scratched the surface. I am "chasing" it. And when I write "chasing," I am being a smartass because the act of being present is not something you can chase. You're either still and present or you're not. The end.

So, that's the story of the ZEN thing. Carry on. :) 

fishing

When I was a little girl, my grandma used to take me & my brother fishing with her and her sisters. We did that a lot. I remember the excitement of getting ready and making our lunches, which were sure to include potted meat sandwiches. I will admit it, I absolutely loved them. I haven't had a potted meat sandwich in many years!

Anyway, one of my fondest memories is of going fishing with my grandma. I was very close to her. She died suddenly when I was 9. I still think about her all of the time. 

This past year, I have gone fishing a few times. Only caught a few bass, but sure had fun in the process. I had forgotten how exciting it is to feel that tug on the line. 

Mostly gone fishing with my friend, Kitty and her husband, Kurt. This was a selfie I took on Kurt's boat.