Day 3: On the ground

Hi all,

Going to be a short and sweet post tonight I think. All you need to know is that I am a sucker for water droplets on plants/leaves/windows/you name it. You can check out a similar picture in this post from the ancient days of 2012. Goodnight, friends. :)

Day 2: Bright

Did I stare at a bright light through a camera lens for several shots before I settled on this photo? Maybe. Should I have quit after two shots to save my eyesight? Probably, but I'm not a quitter. Was it worth it? I'll let you decide.

I'm realizing the downfall of only being able to take pictures after I get home, which means it's dark outside and I get to explore the inside of my apartment for photo subjects. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can often result in lightbulb pictures instead of sun-soaked balcony pictures. Good thing I'm not trying to win likes on Instagram.

I love the word bright; I immediately think of light or color but it also implies intelligence. To me, someone who is bright is someone who is eager to learn, catches on quickly, and has an energy about them that is contagious. I'm always really grateful when we get new people like that at work because they seem to shift the energy with their genuine curiosity and remind people why they started working in their industry or job. I'm also just grateful for people like that in general; a barista at one of my favorite coffee shops this morning greeted me like an old friend and we chatted about the weekend. I didn't even know she knew who I was, which made it all the more awesome. It was such a day brightener to be recognized and greeted. Plus non-awkward conversation?! Nailed it.

There are also times where things don't feel so bright and darkness hangs heavy, and I'm familiar with that space too. I cling to these tiny anchors in a day (a sincere hello, a warm smile, a puppy sighting...) and keep a "thankful for" note in my phone to hold a little light when those dark days come around.

But today? Today is bright, and I am thankful.

Day 1: Leaves

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

- F. Scott Fitzgerald

It finally feels like fall here in Colorado, and I couldn't be more excited. For me, fall brings with it a feeling of hibernation and coziness. I love being outside but during the summer there's this palpable sense of "I need to be outside and swim/hike/bike/camp/tan or I am WASTING THIS SUMMER". In the fall, focus shifts inwards and the pressure to be outside seems to lift as the temperatures lower. Oddly enough, my productivity at work also goes up about 200%.

So. What's the first thing you think of when you hear "fall"? If you said "pumpkin spice latte", partial credit. The answer for me is "changing leaves". It's fitting that for day 1, that's exactly what I'm taking a picture of. But unfortunately there are only about 5 leaves starting to change color in my neighborhood; I almost resorted to spray painting them yellow or doing some really aggressive photoshop edits before I stumbled upon the below.

Fall: crisp and cool. A time of solace and self-reflection. Fleeting and delicate, yet vibrant and impactful. I've found that watching the leaves turn bright in a blaze of glory allows me to pause and reflect on the months behind me and the months ahead. And I'm excited for the months ahead. I stare a bit longer at the trees, hoping to carry the memory of their brilliant colors into the restful and silent winter. I'm grateful that time feels a bit slower as the world tucks in with the cooler temperatures. I hope you can feel that same reprieve from the hustle and savor this season.


Thanks for tuning in, friends.

I'm baaaack: Photo Challenge #3

Well folks, it's happening. I'm dusting off my DSLR and testing out another photo challenge. Found one from #theidearoom from October 2016 that looks like a good one! I shall start tomorrow and we'll see how this goes.

Words.

Hi, friends. You there? I know that I haven't posted since November of last year. But I promise that doesn't mean that I haven't tried.

I have a thousand drafts of unfinished entries. OK, maybe more like a hundred, but still. Unfinished thoughts, unspoken words...sometimes starting to communicate myself and then deciding that there aren't enough words, or aren't the right words. Or that it's just too much to share with others, that I am too much to share with others.

I love words. I think about words a lot, and it's important for me to find the ones that convey the meaning I want. Exhibit A: I have been known to take 30-45 minutes to write a work email just so that I can be precise and include all necessary details without being wordy. I love details, and I love writing a solid email. I'm also that person that will help you figure out the word you're looking for, even if it takes a little while. It's the little things I guess.

But I think I get too caught up in words sometimes.

Outside of work I just love writing in general, because it's like a direct line to my heart. Thoughts that I can't quite speak can flow easily out of my pen often before my mind can process them. This isn't a problem with journaling and I can write whatever I want, however I want. But in blogging I work to shape these thoughts to be more palatable to others. Unfortunately I often catch myself tweaking my words so much that they don't even feel like mine anymore. I have to balance staying genuine with communicating what I want to, and I struggle with producing genuinely meaningful entries consistently. Mainly I struggle with being vulnerable through my writing when I know other people are reading.

Can you relate? 

It's like singing a song to people that I wrote myself...it feels honest and strong when it's inside of me but suddenly raw, small and hesitant when it's out in the open, like I decided to put my nerves on the outside of my body. And once it's out there I can't really take it back. That thought alone is both powerful and exhilarating, and at other times fear- and doubt-inducing.

And sometimes, I get tired of words. Sometimes I just want my blog post to be a long sigh, or a few deep breaths, or a scream of frustration into the nighttime. And that's ok, too.

But in conclusion, I'm working on writing more, and striving less for my version of perfection. And I appreciate you reading along.

Give Light Giveaway: [5 Beautiful Things]

Hi friends,

I wanted to share this awesome idea that my friend Katie had at www.52beautifulthings.com. It's called the "Give Light Giveaway", where everyone shares 5 things that have been beautiful for them. Any 5 things. Once you submit, you are entered into a giveaway for a chance to win a basket of Colorado goodies. Check it out and share some light!

You can read my submission here.

Love to you guys.

The Women's Locker Room

I'd like to take a moment and talk about the womens' locker room at the gym. I find it fascinating, and not just because there are always the token older ladies who don't give a damn and just walk around everywhere completely naked (can I please be you when I'm older?).

I went to a class at 6am before work this morning which is out of my norm. And I say "out of my norm" to emphasize the fact that I am not normally this ambitious; I'm much more of an evening workout person when I go. But it's interesting to see the difference between the pre-work and the post-work locker room buzz.

There is something unique that happens in the morning in that locker room: bodies of all shapes and sizes and so many morning routines come together. Fresh-out-of-the-shower faces and wet hair seem to be a portrait of vulnerability; you see the face behind the face that everyone sees on a day to day basis. We all spend so much time getting ready in the mornings, putting ourselves together for another day out in the world. What does that entail exactly? Well, it's different for everyone.

As I stand at a long mirror blowdrying my hair to "Katie standards" (7 steps below actually dry but 3 above "I fell into a fountain"), I'm next to a woman meticulously curling her perfectly dried hair. In the mirror across the way, another girl does spiral curls with a straightener. Which I will someday teach myself how to do from Pinterest. Other girls just wrap their wet hair up in a bun (you go, girl).

Then comes the makeup. My makeup includes my staples from Target, nothing fancy. I don't really notice anyone else's makeup but what I do notice are the blank slates that everyone presents to the mirror. I can feel the vulnerability myself as I perform a routine typically performed alone in front of my own bathroom mirror. Not insecure, but aware of all of the different approaches we take to the day. It almost feels like we're all bonded together by that experience before taking on the day; we've all seen each other sans makeup as strangers, wrapped in a towel with hair undone. We ourselves are undone, but in a comfortable way. A liberating way.

And I really appreciate that about the women's locker room.