What will you miss if you don't?

You see, my good friend invited me to be in his wedding.  And it was in Mexico.  Okay, twist my arm.

Of course I brought my camera and woke up every morning to capture that beautiful scenery and light around me.  I captured some seascapes.

The day of the wedding came and it was a flurry of fun activities, including the ceremony and a delicious dinner afterward.  Then the party came which included some dancing and celebrating and there might have been an adult beverage here and there... and everywhere. It was quite a day and I went to bed really, really late.  Or should I say early (since it was technically morning).

As I was ready to drift off to dreamland, I first had to decide:

Decision #1: Should I wake up early to take pictures?

I knew it was going to be painful.  Something told me to just set my alarm.  It was basically 3-4 hours away.  Yikes.

Tip: Photographers know that it's important not to just wake up at sunrise, but BEFORE sunrise.  I needed to look at the clouds and the light and get into position.  If you ever want to see a beautiful sunrise, you must get there 20-30 minutes before the actual sun rises...keep that in mind.  Most of the dramatic beauty happens BEFORE the sun comes.

Off to sleep I went, and as expected, it felt like I just shut my eyes before I heard my alarm.  Ugh.

Decision #2: Do I shut it off and drift back to dreamland or do I get up?

Well, I was in Mexico...so I got up.  I was horribly groggy and gulped down some water.  It was quite painful.  I got my gear and out the door I went at the speed of a snail.

The thick clouds littered the sky and I was not pleased.  This normally means all light will be blocked and scenery will appear flat and uninteresting.

Well, I was up, so I thought I might as well look around and see if something would happen.

Then something happened.

And the strange part is that it was so magical it was as if I was dreaming.  Ironically, I ditched my dream for reality that was dream-like.  I was no longer groggy and tired.  The situation unraveling before me gave me sparks of immense energy.

In the distance, the sun fought to illuminate the water below creating beams of light.  The clouds started to break apart over my head allowing enough ambient light to illuminate the scene in front of me.  It was some of the most magical light I've ever seen.

These moments passed quickly, but I had my camera and I was ready.  I would later discover this photo shoot gave me energy for the rest of the day, despite the lack of rest.

The curious thing about this situation is that I would have never known what I would have missed if I were sleeping.  I would have been blissfully unaware.

Good thing I set my alarm.  Good thing I did get up and got out that door.  That decision gave me a pretty compelling wedding present.

I call it VOW since it reminds me of what my friend's wedding the night before meant to them.  Perhaps the word to me shows my desire to commit to capture a magical passing moment, regardless of circumstance.

VOW instills the lesson I learned: What will you miss if you don't?

The desire not to miss out is what guarantees life's most interesting and unexpected moments.

To never lose sight of this, I have something hanging above my bed to remind me every day....
....before I go to sleep.