A Dream Come True, Part 2

In this post, I talked about the dream I had as a 10 year old, where real baseball players came to live at our house. This summer, we had our very own Las Cruces Vaqueros living with us as a host family and got to see him playing ball here. It felt very neat indeed to see a dream come true. Well tonight, I was lucky enough to have another dream realized, a dream very close to my heart. Ever since I picked up a camera for the very first time, I thought I had some talent and for a photographer, the fruition of what they do is getting an exhibit or being a part of one. This happened for me on Friday.

I had two pictures accepted for a photo exhibit at the Branigan Cultural Center in celebration of New Mexico’s Centennial of Statehood. The exhibit was called “The Enchanted Land” and featured about 60 photographs done by locals that reflected the essence of New Mexico. Two of the three pictures that I submitted were accepted and hung and Friday night was the opening.

First off I must admit that I got a lump in my throat when I saw my two hanging. It was a mixture of pride in the work but also a feeling of belonging, a very special feeling for me. I invited my friends and was so happy that they were able to make it and as we toured all the photos, I began to get a sense that my photographs stood up with all the others. Sometimes that is a difficult thing for me to accept.

It was a special night, the kind of night that you don’t want to end. To my friends who came, thank you for being a part of a very special night for me. To the photo club members, thanks for the positive comments and for easily making me feel part of your group. To the strangers I talked with, thanks for positive energy and great questions about what I saw and was trying to do in the images. All of these things made it a very special night.

Afterward, we went out for a couple of drinks with friends at a local place that serves its own beers. As I sat there it was so easy to understand why I like these people so. The warm feelings from the photo exhibit continued as it changed into the warm glow of friendship. Again, it was the kind of night, the kind of feeling that no one wants to see end.

As we drove to the pub, we saw that thunderstorms were surrounding the city and knew it was only a matter of time before they crossed our path in some way. By the time we were leaving, it had started to rain and a full-blown thunderstorm was overhead. I tried to go to sleep but couldn’t settle down after all the evening’s excitement, so I got up and sat on the front porch for a long time watching the storms swirl. There really is nothing like thunder and lightening in the desert. It fills the sky with brilliant flashes and colors that cover one end of the sky to the other.

I have always liked storms so this was sort of a closing celebration of the evening just past. As I sat and listened to the rain and watched the flashes, now off in the distance, I felt somehow complete. As if the exhibit and the storm filled me up with positive karma. Even on nights like this everything doesn’t align completely, but still, the good triumphs over the negatives, holds them at bay for just a while and a sense of self satisfaction comes in and overwhelms.

Once again, thanks to my friends, fellow club members and exhibit attendees for enjoying what many people sought to create. You know, the creative process is very cool. It lifts you up and holds you when little else can. It was a special evening and I really wish it didn’t have to end.