Change.....Chance..........Windows of Opportunity.   They are all around us all the time, we need only open our eyes, hearts and minds to really SEE them.  In the past year i have made two very big changes in my life. They centered on “me”....which may seem selfish, but in reality it was just what the doctor ordered. i made a decision to grow stronger and more confident, to take control of my life instead of being controlled. It was stressful and at times heart wrenching, but after four months of therapy i finally realized that only i can make decisions that directly impact me and my well being. I have spent most of my life trying to juggle the ball of pleasing everyone else...to the point that when i finally was strong enough to know i was a person in my own right, i was met with tremendous resistance from my family and even some friends...people not used to me asserting myself and my opinions.  They will get used to it....eventually.  They may never really understand it....but i am so much happier and healthier when i am not keeping everything inside of me. 
The second thing i did was make my own decision to travel out of state to visit a friend i made on Flickr.  There was just something about her personality....i had a feeling inside me that i needed to meet her, shoot with her....trade knowledge and learn from her.  i just felt connected.  I made the decision to take her up on her invite to visit with her.  I was the right decision.  I booked the trip last August, in the middle of the  biggest, baddest draught that Texas ever had!  My 5 days spent with her, was spent touring places that were fascinating and beautiful, in 100+ degree temps!  Her husband would wake each morning to get ready for work, and pack us a cooler of water and gatorade to make sure we stayed hydrated.  We had a ball!! My family was totally freaked out that i was going to fly down and spend time with someone i did not “know”!   They were sure i was going to be whisked of to Mexico and placed in a sex slave hotel, never to be heard from again!  THAT one made me laugh out loud!!  I have met other Flickr friends in person....a total of 10 now, and it has opened windows of opportunity i never dreamed of.  i have always been the friendly sort, but very shy and reserved....never making a first move....hanging back and waiting for “the right time”, or “when i feel comfortable”.  That choice to grow more confident and stronger....to believe in myself, was truly the most frightening thing i have ever done....but it certainly has brought me tremendous rewards.  I know now what it means to “go with your gut”....those feelings that come out of nowhere and tell you to do or not do something.  They are a combination of "things learned and experiences had"....and they are an incredibly accurate measure of how things will turn out.
SO....GO with your gut....be brave....be fearless.......head for those beautiful windows of opportunity and climb through them with confidence!!  The rewards await on the other side!