Devaki's Life Day
06.23.2007

FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS

My life day held no lightening bolts of shocks of realization.  It was actually a quiet day broken down to the simplest moment of stillness-I was lying on a rock watching all the little fish in the river and I was trying to identify my feelings of discontent it wasn't that things were wrong, its just that they weren't right either.

Malcolm Daly had invited me to photograph some Iraq vets climbing inEldorado Canyon. My life shifted on single afternoon shooting pictures of Keith Deutsch climbing after losing his leg in Iraq and Chad Jukes climbing 3 months after his amputation, witnessing their shift in confidence and the true light that radiated from deep inside of them when they reached the top was indescribable.

A few days later at the No Barriers event in Squaw Valley, DJ was talking about the needs of Paradox Sports and the opportunity to be a part of the marketing team.  I felt like everything I had learned in the last 4.5 years had honed me perfectly for this position. This was it.  I felt like all of the pieces of my life were starting to make sense and fall into place.

A week later I walked into the Prana office, and said, I love my job, but I want to quit. It was the easiest hard thing I had ever done.  Quite the Paradox.

As much as a life day is about an individual, my life day would not have been possible without the opportunities that were presented to me by Malcolm, Keith and Chad and DJ.

I learned that a person does not have to do anything spectacular, or be a superstar to make a difference. It is the simplest act of being present and supportive that inspires.