I’ve never considered myself a troublemaker. Yet, throughout my life I’ve found myself in trouble. The words I’ve said, or not said, the actions I’ve made, or not made, all have presented troublesome times in life for myself and others. Age has helped me learn to be a better student in life and see when I can be the troublemaker.

Life is always offering us situations where decisions we need to be make could cause trouble. I use the following scenario as a simple example. Lets say that while shooting some photographs of a dew covered spider web in wetlands we make the decision to step to the right for a different perspective. We are in trouble as soon the water and mud flow over the tops of our boots. We probably should not have done that. The fault was not the water, the mud, the dew covered spiderweb, the spider who made the web or the boot. That experience offers a lesson that hopefully will not be repeated. 🙂

Unfortunately, there is a tendency to look at others or life events as troublemakers but seldom ourselves. An honest look at broken relationships will show us the words or actions we are responsible for that became troublemakers. When such an approach is made healing can be made in that relationship. Working to make ourselves as peacemakers rather than troublemakers would slowly change much of the world around us and eventually all of the world.

I personally feel if we all looked at the choices we make from life’s experiences we will become more aware of who really caused the trouble. If not, then I promise you, we will step in the muddy water, again.

“The real troublemaker is within us. Our true enemies are our destructive tendencies.” Dali Lama