There are times in life that everything seems to fall in place. People that believe in astronomy would say that the stars were aligned. People that believe in a higher power would say the gods are smiling. I like to believe that something’s are just meant to be. No matter how you phrase it I was very lucky to happen upon a second career in a time in my life that I least expected it.
I have a degree in social work. I had been working in the field for thirty years and was starting to count down the number of years until I could retire. I did not dislike my job, but I found that it was difficult to remain optimistic when I was dealing with people’s problems all day long. One of the things that I do to relax and rejuvenate my spirit is to garden. I have perennial gardens that I love tending to. Through the years I have learned to keep my camera close by when I am in the gardens because there are many opportunities to take pictures of hummingbirds and other creatures that are attracted to the flowers.
One day two years ago I was sitting on a small stool pulling weeds. I had my camera around my neck because I was hoping to get a picture of the hummingbirds that had been flying around the flowers. I do not know if it was because I was sitting down or what, but a hummingbird handed very close to me and sat on one of my bleeding heart bushes. I slowly raised my camera and was able to take several pictures of it resting on the branch. Another hummingbird then began feeding on the flowers of the bush. I was so close I could hear the wings beating. The sun was at a perfect angle to capture the beautiful colors of the feathers. I could hardly wait to get the pictures of the hummingbirds developed. I quickly shot off the rest of the roll and took the film in. The pictures of the hummingbirds were fantastic. And to my great surprise I realized that I had captured a picture of their nest with two tiny eggs in it. The nest was in one of the plants that I had taken a shot of to use up the film.
The person at the camera shop asked if they could display one of the pictures. A few days later I was called about selling one of the pictures. I had so many requests that I had several made up and framed. I am now doing nature photography and selling prints. It is a great career change. I am no longer counting the days to retirement.