Several times over the last few months I’ve written about the need to take a break from business now and then.  Business is anything but easy today and some times getting away for a piece of the day is just the thing you need to recharge your battery.   Well, I’m guilty of too often not being able to practice what I preach, but yesterday an old friend came through.

I spent the afternoon with a buddy from high school.   Even though we’ve kept in touch over the years, we’ve rarely had quality time when we both could take a few hours out from work and simply hang out like we did when we were kids.  I grew up in the Cleveland area and pretty much left after high school, only to return for various family events.  As a result I really don’t know Cleveland very well.  He took me on a tour of Cleveland’s west side, Warehouse District and Tremont area and I was blown away by the galleries, restaurants, shopping and especially all the old buildings.

I’ve pretty much made fun of Cleveland most of my life, as well as people who say they don’t have any nice places to photograph.   Well, talk about feeling like a fool!    Just the old buildings alone would give a photographer, like Bambi Cantrell, a field day of texture and shadows all against a panoramic of old brick.  Even the merchants in Westside Market surrounded by fresh vegetables, meats, seafood and baked goods would satisfy the toughest of photojournalistic standards.  

I know at this point you’re saying, so what’s his point?  Well, here it is - don’t underestimate the power of catching up to old friends.  Reminiscing over the good old days, while enjoying the present, is an unbeatable combination for getting your creative juices flowing.  

I don’t care if you’re 30 or 60…take the time to track down an old friend and then put aside a couple of hours just to hang out like you did in high school and have a few laughs.  It’ll do wonders for taking your mind off business and bring you back with a better perspective on the challenges of the day.