Last Friday I had the honour of photographing little Olivia. I was incredibly excited beforehand and knew that this was going to be a very special occasion - but little did I know just how strongly she would influence me. 

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I think meeting Olivia this past week left me forever changed and transformed - intensely, yet peacefully. And all that by a little girl only nine days of age...

Olivia showed up in her brand new stroller together with her friend the much-larger-than-her elephant. She also had two adult humans with her, two people who had lovingly decided to create new life. Two humans that were just as mesmerized as I was when they and I realized that the creation of life is much, much more than just a life decision - so very much more than just an addition to our own existence.

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Instead I think we all realized that it is nothing short of a true miracle.

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The moment I met the eyes of this beautiful new little stranger, I realized that I wasn't just experiencing a moment like any other. It was an instant, in which I witnessed a new, so very tiny little heart that was beating its first few beats, with billions more to come. She had only been here for nine days, yet she knew so much about life already. And she knew even more about love.

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For one, when I first met her, she was so very peacefully resting. She didn't mind that all the attention was on her, she was peacefully centered within herself and focusing on just one task - to grow, and, to LIVE.

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Later, the sun was shining on her and she cued and made little sounds to communicate her pleasure with us. She was happy, enjoying her very special moment in the park in the sun! She didn't know that a minute later we'd try to take away her blanket for a cute photo, making her a tad bit uncomfortable. Not knowing that anything uncomfortable might come up, she didn't fear it and just happily babbled away and wiggled her little hands and toes at us.

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Olivia, in that moment in the sun, didn't know either, that life might bring her difficult moments, that maybe one day she'd be sad or have her heart broken, or that she'd be rejected in some form while she'd be building her career. Instead, she investigated the pretty yellow flowers that we had arranged next to her for the photo. Likewise, after helping her out of her uncomfortable moment by lovingly wrapping her up in warming coziness, she quickly forgot about the painful experience and reverted to smiling and wondering. Instead of worrying about the future, Olivia seemed to have the most passionate interest in what was happening in the now, in that very moment, and what these amazingly interesting flowers were made of!

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But that is not where my amazement ended. The way Olivia requested and processed love and happiness exuded an unimaginable amount of respect in me. She had all the confidence it took to ask for her much needed and deserved love and care - and love she was given. She marveled at the flowers and was honoured for doing so. She requested warmth and was given just that. She was just Olivia, and she didn't need to be anything other than she wanted to be or already was. She was loved, and she knew she deserved to be. She was loved, and that's all she needed.

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We as grown-ups can learn so much from this. We worry. We regret. We fear. Sometimes we feel unworthy of love or surround ourselves with the wrong people.

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But Olivia? She didn't worry. Instead, she wondered. Instead, she soaked up life and love in each moment. She directed sadness at moments when she was truly uncomfortable and then quickly returned to wonder about the world, and all the beautiful flowers in it that she had just discovered. She quickly returned to love, and without a doubt she instinctively knew how to give and receive it. 

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I believe that Olivia is a true example for the art of living in, as well as loving the moment. She has only lived through very few heartbeats, yet she's already a true master at life and love. I believe Olivia taught me that day that we already know how to live - everything we need to succeed at the simplicity yet vast complexity of life is already within us from day one of our existence. 

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I believe we can be more like her. Today we don't know that tomorrow we might get injured or lose our job or our partner. And it's not necessary to know. Or to fear, or to worry. Because today we know that we have the beauty of the world and its flowers. Today we know we have love, within us, and from others.

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I believe we can be more like Olivia. More at peace, in the moment, wondering about the beauty of life and beginning to love every piece of it. We can - because we did, effortlessly - in those first few days of our lives.

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If you would like to learn how to live, meet a newborn, and you will remember with a force that will shake you up and open your eyes in very powerful yet peaceful waves like those of the vast and wide ocean.

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Life is lived by instinct. Just dive deeply within your own personal world and you will find an invaluable treasure full of love and wonder. One that is uniquely yours, and the only one that can truly guide you at this marvelous gift called life. You already are everything you'll ever need to be. :-)

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Happy living and wondering!

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View my Newborn Photography here! Book your own consultation or session with us here!

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Hi, I'm Simone, I'm your new photographer! I capture moments of raw life and beauty in a new form of storytelling! I believe what sets me apart as a photographer is a passion to transform a bare photoshoot into a relaxed moment full of happiness and memories - the opportunity to spend personal quality time that is captured visually by an artistic professional! You deserve this unique treat! Let's write your story together!