Feeling Froggy? Then don't jump!

I awoke one morning with what seemed to be every muscle in my upper body aching. The events from the previous day seemed to have left me sore and slowly moving to position myself on the edge of my bed. I had worked a full shift at my job which involved heavy lifting. I came home that evening and quickly changed into athletic wear to get a quick workout in. What happened after that workout is what I assume to be me falling asleep and awaking at a little after 7 AM. That was ok, I just knew that today was going to be the day I got my perfect shot.

I quickly scarfed down my breakfast, took a shower and got dressed. I grabbed my camera, cell phone, a couple of bottles of water and on my way I went. I was headed to a park one town over, about a twenty minute drive. My mind was in overdrive at the thought of what I could possibly catch on camera to immortalize my perfect shot. I didn't just need any regular photo, I wanted a close-up shot.

Ask and you shall receive is the saying. Little did I know that this saying would prove to be true. I scrambled to exit my vehicle as I could feel the excitement drowning any other thoughts I had at that moment. I was at a botanical garden that contained two separate trails. One of which, I had ventured down on a previous visit. The only one left, obviously, was the one I had not explored. With a deep breath and a heightened sense of excitement, a set off trekking down the unexplored path up and through the woods. I stopped occasionally to snap a few shots of my surroundings.

I took a moment to marvel at my beautiful surroundings while simultaneously being a tad disappointed that I had not yet seen any wildlife. Yes, a close-up shot of some type of wildlife was my only goal for the day. After brainstorming what type of wildlife I could possibly run into at a botanical garden, I rose back up from my crouched over state, fanned my shirt, wiped the sweat glistening from my forehead and carried on. The actual garden came into view about five minutes after I had stopped and I instantly felt tingles of excitement. I hurried down to the opening and once again, found myself marveling at the park's beauty and serenity.

Clenching my camera, I began snapping shots at the scenery while careful surveying the landscape to catch any wandering wildlife that may come into my view. After what seemed like hours traversing through the park, I finally took a break and let out a deep sigh as the heat from the sun seemed to sucked every bit of energy from my body. While drenched in sweat, I once again found myself fanning my shirt to provide some temporary relief from the intensity of the sun. "I just need one shot", I quietly whispered to myself. I've always heard the old saying while growing up, "Ask and you shall receive". Well, little did I know that I was about to be gifted exactly what I was hoping for. As I was staring at the concrete path from the small bridge I was resting on, my eyes began to dart back and forth at rapid movement on the ground.

I slowly and steadily grabbed my camera and prepared myself for when whatever it was moving about to stop so I could capture a picture of it. I inched closer to get a better look and noticed it was a baby frog. Trying to contain my excitement I could feel a subtle grin creep along the side of my face. I got closer, knees to the ground type closer and placed my camera directly in the path of the young amphibian. I was expecting for the creature to get spooked and jump off but as the seconds ticked by I noticed this was a now or never situation.

One snap after another I noticed that the frog was just sitting there, almost as if I had directly asked him to be a model for my photo shoot. I couldn't believe I was getting shots I've always wanted to get. Sounds crazy, I know, but a close-up shot of any animal was something I had always wanted for my amateur photography portfolio. After about seven or eight pictures the little guy jolted away into the brush an disappeared from my view. I stood there amazed, satisfied and grateful for the frog's patience and in utter disbelief that it all seemingly fell into my lap.

I couldn't seem to take my eyes away from the images as I was walking back through the woods. I tripped over a few pointed rocks and almost ran into a few trees but the joy of what just happened to me was too much to ignore. I returned back to my car soaked in sweat, my shoes scratched and a few dirt spots on my jeans from kneeling earlier. I sat in my car, exhausted but let out a sigh of relief. Divine intervention at it's finest.

Alas, the sun was setting, the air a bit cooler and me a bit happier as I put my car into drive and drove away from the park. I cranked my air conditioning up to the highest setting and pressed the button on my sunroof to let the sounds of the chopping wind come through. I put my shades on and selected a relaxing instrumental to play as my eyes followed the yellow lines along the long country roads. I was satisfied with my efforts for the day and was eager to put the images on my computer. "Be careful what you wish for", they always say. As life goes on and time ticks away I can fondly look back on this memory and tell myself, "I got exactly what I wished for".