And all you can see are the years passing by....

I've come to see a common pattern among many of the friends I run into, who are out in the field, photographing or observing the birds.

While there is a smattering of young people...

So many of us are older.

Some of that has to do with the fact that when we are older, many are retired and have time to get out and enjoy the hobby.

But there is more.

What I have run into, more often than not.

Are shattered lives.

People who lost it all. Who have nothing left. Who lost their marriages, their jobs, and their fortunes.

Who find peace and happiness in nature.

So many.

And there is a huge difference in the way we look at things and pursue or love and our passion, from those who have not had the hardship.

I have seen many people with great jobs, or great pensions and tons of money, tons of great gear I will never be able to afford. They are impatient. They want the shots. They want their gear to do the work for them. After all, they spent the 50 grand on the lenses and cameras, so they deserve it, right?

The best photographs of nature and the birds I have ever seen come from people with no wealth, no fortune, no wives. No family left. The ones who have lost everything in their life.

Because what they do comes from the heart. With a sense of great pain to overcome. We will sit for 6 hours in one spot to wait for the perfect shot. We will learn about and appreciate and love the birds we photograph.

Because we aren't there to win some award for having the best gear. To show off. To pretend we work for National Geographic.

We will brave the freezing winds, and the insane heat and biting flies of Summer.

Why?

Because when you have lost everything in your life. You are stronger and more determined, and the chance to see that one scene. To capture that one shot. Is what finding heaven is all about.

It's about heart. It's about what is in your soul.

The best of us out there are not the ones who live large.

The best of us are the ones who have lost all.