The last time I rode the ferry to Bainbridge Island, I was 22. The weather was stormy, I shot with a zoom lens, had no children, and was living in the city for a month in a fully furnished apartment with my husband. We had this idea we’d try out the place. Life in Alabama felt like the wrong equation, no matter how many variables we shifted.
Then, we had our first kiddo. She was a wonderful, all consuming beam of light, who, combined with her sister a little later, kept us in the South another 3 years. Then, it was time to go. We headed West.
It was both an easy transition, and not. We left a place we’d lived our entire life, on the basis of vibes. Perhaps that doesn’t give enough credit— housing, prices, community, etc were checked, lots of conversations were had, feasibility was obsessed over. My husband and I are both first borns, burdened with glorious purpose, and whatnot 😉😉 And, it did take some doing to transition a life 2600 miles away. We sold a house, my husband and some family/friends drove our cars and a dog, and I flew with a 3 y/o & a 5 month old to stay with friends till they arrived in Washington. Some of the images from this time might be on this blog, way way back. I can’t remember.
I took this image a few weeks ago, standing with one of those kids. Looking at it now causes introspection, but also the happy memory of being on our way to our 13 year old’s soccer game. The sun was out, my coat was warm, and my younger kiddo stood close, our excitement about the Seattle skyline in tandem.
By now, we all know this influence with photography, right?
But still, we’ve wondered. Our life here is good, but we hope we’ve made the right call. Awarness of different timelines can be a heavy thing, if you let it. My sincere hope in our 10th year is that moving forward we continue with mindfulness and gratitude. That we see what we still want and what we already have with balanced clarity.
Lot’s of words before 7am PST. Hopefully they make sense 😉