Hello, hello!

I hope you and those you love remain healthy.

For my part, moving to a new city just weeks before we realized Covid-19 was going to crush everything we knew, really hit me hard. I’m not complaining- I have so far been quite fortunate to stay well, my family has all stayed safe and followed protocols as best they were able. The few people I know who tested positive have pulled through alright. My side business blossomed, I got a cat, a friend. The fish are struggling, I must admit.

I am sure you are aware of the massive social and political upheaval across our nation (and frankly the world, but I think most of us have been inundated by- and struggling to process- what is local to us). I mention it only because this entire year, so far, has seemed to be one of change and growth in a burn-the-house-down sort of way. We usually make our choices, we live our time our own way- ok, I’m finding it hard to reword what JRR Tolkien already expressed perfectly in his character Gandolf- “all you have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to you.” I love that quote.

But this season sort of turned that brutal truth on its head, did it not? I suppose types like Elon Musk maybe are still doing what they set out to do this year (he is in Mars, right??). As for me, starting over in a new city has been thwarted, both in business and in personal life. What few weddings I had booked when I moved here canceled for Covid concerns, understandably and my heart moves for how that must feel. Personally, of course, I was waylaid in meeting new friends and building a sense of community. But given that, I’ve found this year helpful in burning away some of the outer layer I’d concealed myself behind.

I realize this is a very serious post, but I did want to admit that I developed a good case of apathy for quite some time. At the heart of doing nothing, I could sit with myself and find happiness. I can smile (behind a mask) for no reason at all. And again, I am finding beauty in the world and appreciating it everywhere I can go (“can go” really should be underlined in this sentence).

The mountains are already home. They have been since before I moved here. And when Covid started, and I ran back to Raleigh, I found I missed them all too much. Within days, I couldn’t wait to come back. And so I did.

Below, I’ve added a photo of myself impersoning the gray Wizard himself, shouting at a specter, you shall not pass. I think it’s pretty funny. If you want to know how it was created, let me know and I’ll write a post about that. Side note- you can see more of my work on my Instagram page (Photolace), but I deleted my Facebook Biz page. It seemed redundant to me, and I am tired of spinning my wheels so many places.

I have some photo work coming up and some I’ve never shared, and so I will once again bring this page to life. Maybe more than it’s been in years.

I hope you, reading this long post (one of the things I learned during Covid was what tl;dr means. This post probably applies…) are well, safe, happy and expanding into new life.