If you live in Florida you get lunch at the Publix deli sometimes. If you live far enough outside the city, you probably eat lunch there more than you'd like to admit.

$5 sushi on Wednesdays is a pretty good deal. FYI I'm not sponsored by Publix, but I probably should be.

As I was walking through the parking lot, this egret came gliding past me and perched in a bush by the stop sign.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the fact he was having raw lizard while I was having raw fish, both from Publix.

It would be cool if I had my camera and lenses with me, but as they say, the best camera is the one you have with you, so iPhone it is.

Overall I've been really impressed with the camera in my iPhone 16. My wife has the 17, and it is even better.

Not knocking Android, of course. There are some seriously nice cameras on that side as well, but what I have is an iPhone, so that's what I talk about.

I'm in the planning stages of a book on beginning nature photography with your mobile phone, so if you think you'd be interested be sure to sign up for the mailing list/newsletter. You get a free ebook for signing up: 7 Day Mindful Hiking Challenge. I talk about nature photography as a mindful practice in that book as well.

Are you struggling with stress and don't know how to reduce it?

To be honest, I'm pretty much crushed by stress in my life. Unfortunately for someone like me with Coronary Artery Disease, stress is one of the big risk factors, so I'm always on the hunt for ways to improve my stress loadout.

The single best way I've found to lower my stress is to connect with nature. I love to go hiking and take nature photos.

I discovered that the process of looking for good photo opportunities amplified the stress reduction of being out in nature, and that started me thinking about why.

That sent me down the trail of combining mindfulness and hiking. The result is my new book 7 Day Mindful Hiking Challenge.

You can get a free copy just by signing up for my newsletter. You can cancel your subscription at any time, and the ebook will still be yours.

In the book I'll take you through a 7 day journey to get out into nature and be fully present in the moment.

Since I'm targeting primarily people over 50 with Schedule Tranquility, of course I include ways to tailor the experience to your capabilities.

One point is that these don't have to be 7 consecutive days.

Maybe you do one day per week for 7 weeks. That's fine!

The goal of this book is to help you reduce your stress, not stress you out because you feel you aren't keeping up.

Each day you will get out for a hike, even if the hike is just a walk around your garden or local park. If you are up to a longer hike in a wilder place, that's great, but totally optional.

Each day has journal prompts to help you process your experiences and remember them better later.

I really enjoyed writing this book, and I hope you both enjoy it and find some stress relief from it.

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