They say a health scare (usually a serious one) will give you a different outlook on life. It’s true; it does.

 

So a little bit about me. I’m a cancer survivor; I’m also HIV-positive. My cancer is believed to have been the result of my [then] suppressed immune system. (For what it’s worth, I'm SOOoo much better today!) These days I take a single pill, at night, and as a result my viral load is undetectable (it has been for years) and my CD-4 count is stellar. Why bother mentioning any of this here on a photo-sharing website? Because there are [sadly] more people out there who are affected by health concerns than many feel comfortable talking about. Some are embarrassed (they shouldn’t be); others, since having been diagnosed, have given up on life. Why?

 

There is no reason whatsoever that justifies giving up on your life! You should squeeze every ounce of happiness you can out of it. Make the most of the time you have been given and ENJOY your time here on this earth!

 

People who know me; I mean who really know me know that I’m pretty much an open book with regard to my health AND my sexuality. I believe in living my life with no regrets and in encouraging others to live THEIR lives without any, as well. I’m not saying that I’m proud of having been exposed to HIV by my ex-partner, nor is a person's sexual orientation a "reason" for being proud. However, the more important point to be made is that NEITHER are a reason to be ashamed either!

 

(Sometimes it is simply appropriate to make one’s voice heard over all of the noise that “distracts good people from making sound, well-informed life choices.”)

 

If I’m going to great pains to HIDE who I am and/or some of the challenges I’ve been faced with, then the message I’m sending is that I’m “ashamed of myself. I’m not. I’m embarrassed by some of my idiotic past decisions but I’m (i) strong enough to forgive myself for those, and (ii) intelligent enough to recognize none of us is perfect. In fact, we are each one of us im-perfect.

 

And if I’m unwilling to let others in so that they can get to know the real me, then any relationship (be it a simple friendship or something of a more serious nature with someone special) is going to be less than “all it could be.” I believe in authenticity. Get to know the real me; the good, the bad and the ugly. (The “ugly” is that I sometimes curse like a sailor. LOL)

 

Life is short; if you haven’t learned this by now, let me break the bad news to you. For those reading who are “single and looking,” let me give you a bit of advice. We ALL come with baggage. If you’re holding out for “mister perfect” because you simply refuse to deal with any drama in your life, you are going to be sorely disappointed. You’ll eventually find that you’ve lived your entire life and you are still single. Don’t be that person who believes somebody exists out there who is absent of any baggage.

  

MY INTERESTS:

 

When I was younger they were racquetball and cycling. (It’s time I took the cycling back up again.) While I haven’t been in a while, I’m also interested in hiking and in camping. I love getting out into nature.

 

My biggest interest by far is photography but you’ve likely figured that out already or you wouldn’t be here in my little corner of the Internet. >^..^<

 

I hope you’ll enjoy what I have to share here. Some [friends] have teased me, claiming I’d take a photo of a dead rat if it landed at my feet. (They might be right about that were I able to pose it in such a way that it’d represent, artistically). LOL.

 

My photos represent a passing moment where I’ve tried (sometimes unsuccessfully) to capture the essence of an emotion. I suppose that’s why I love photography. While we can’t recapture time (once it’s gone, it’s gone) we can evoke the emotion we were feeling in the past. In order to do so we either tap into our memories (which can betray us) or we look at a photo that was taken before the moment did pass.

 

I’m constantly working to hone my skills behind the lens (and in front of the computer monitor).

 

Some of my photos may simply be snapshots that I’ve taken along the way; others are the product of a lot of preparation, serious thought and effort. Some are tack-sharp and more worthy of sharing while others are “crap” that I just didn’t have the heart to delete from my Flickr page [yet].

 

EVERY photo shoot is an adventure and every image presents an opportunity to learn. My hope is that, in time, I’ll improve my skills. That’s all that any of us can hope for I suppose.

 

Peace be with you,

Michael