Amusingly enough, fresh after I had published last week’s lessons learned list, life decided to play one of those funny timing jokes it really enjoys.  For those who do not commit my writing to memory (so everyone BUT my mom), # 8 on my list of lessons learned from this project was, “Photography is probably not my God-given talent, but I think I am getting better.”  A mere few hours after typing that and publishing it to the wide world, I headed over to my friend’s house with a camera and no clue as to what we were doing, short of she asked me to take a few pictures of some flowers her mom and she were doing.  I made a joke at the time about my photography “skills,” but I seemed to let the words “styled shoot” go in one ear and out the other.  I should have known better.  Neither my friend nor her mom and their amazing floral designs are anything less than stunning and a big deal.

As I parked my car and knocked on the door, I wasn’t nervous, I was simply going to a friends house…and then I entered a winter wonderland.  Inside, Christmas carol’s were blazing, despite the near 100 degree temperatures outside.  In truth, it was more of a deep forest garnet colored wonderland, but it was definitely Christmas and magical.  There were beautiful arrangements on tables, in the chandelier, on banisters and doorframes.

I may have gotten a little nervous at this point.  “Um, friend, what are we doing here?”  And then she tells me with a wide smile and her trademark laugh.  “Didn’t I tell you we are doing pictures for a magazine shoot?  A floral design magazine asked specific designers to participate and we got to pick the theme we wanted.”  “Oh,” I say, suddenly internally freaking out, “you mean the pictures I take are going to be in competition to get your work in a magazine?” Her response was swift. “Nope.  We are already in the magazine.  The pictures you take will go in it.”  Say what?  That classic sound of a record screeching to a halt?  That was definitely my mental soundtrack right then.

But, it was in the service of friends and their amazing designs.  Seriously, masters with flowers, so, gulp, I got to work, resolving to silence my inner voice–the one screaming “YOU can’t do this!”

Never even realized she was taking my picture, I was so deep in my “workout.”

I am not going to lie to you and say that I ever stopped being nervous.  I was nervous while taking the pictures.  I was worried when I got home and started looking through them.  I fretted more when I was editing them, and it did take a big deep breath to hit share on the file they lived in.  BUT, I did learn things and I can honestly say I could do it better next time, and I had fun doing it.  Also, sidebar, I suddenly get why yoga is such a good workout.  I was trying to hold completely still whilst clicking away and it was WORK.  My muscles were not amused.  Can photography be a workout?  What about when combined with stress?

In addition to the gift of an unintended workout and learning some things specific about photography, I got a few other gifts from this big personal stretch.  First,  my talented friends trusted me with their work.  They spent hours preparing for that shoot and trusted me with their work.  What an honor and a gift!  I also learned that I could leave my comfort zone behind and you know what?  Nobody died.  Actually, I didn’t think death was an option, but letting people down is a pretty horrific happening in my world.  And I showed up and did my best.  And that was going to have to be enough.  This is the exact thing I lecture my kids about all the time, showing up, doing their best.  I have lectured them time and again about how that is all any of us can really do.  Well, their mom will definitely have a little more empathy and understanding the next time this topic comes up.

So you may be wondering about now who was my bread recipient this week?  Well, of course, it had to be my friend’s mom, the floral designer.  She is an artist who builds the most exquisitely textured arrangements, her wedding designs blow me away, and she is lovely and gracious to boot!  I felt I had to show up and do my best for her with something a little more in my wheelhouse.  Her trust in me meant so much and really gave me an opportunity to learn and grow.  Bread is clearly the right response to that, right?