It's been an interesting road staying in one spot, let me tell you. My brain has become geared for better leaving than staying, so I'm trying to wrap my head around a month and a half in one spot. This will be the longest I haven't jumped on a plane in 8 months, and the first time I will have finished an entire loaf of bread without it going bad.
I could tell you the amount of lattes quickly downed at airports and train stations and bus stops, and the amount of planes I took to jump around the world. I could also tell you how quickly I can pack a backpack for a 9 day trip for all different weather conditions.
But now the backpacks are hung up on the wall and the baggage-check tickets are piled up like bracelets on the handles. I guess the fear of staying in one place is the fear of getting boring. There are big plans in the works for expeditions and photo shoots, but for now, I have to settle into feeding the chickens every morning and drinking a large cup of coffee, and sending out resumes for photo things.
I just returned from Wyoming where I spent Thanksgiving with my family. We come from a long line of cowboys who work hard and know how to fix things. They drink their coffee black with breakfast and sometimes whiskey after dinner. I always learn something when I make the trek there, and it always encourages me fill up my brain with more. Since my unemployment and a broken laptop, I've put down the camera and found myself spending significant amounts of time in the library. It's good to take a step back from the technology, sometimes. In a way, it's taught me how to slow down; to become less attached. Without the immediate availability of a computer, I was filling my time with things that matter more then checking my facebook 12 times a day. I've spent more time in conversation, and more time learning.
I don't think I'll ever forget the way that my life feels right now- how that now I'm out of school, I'm much more interested in learning. There is a deep curiosity about how the world spins and who inhabits it. I find myself asking more questions and am just generally more interested in things. My attempt to turn those thoughts into photographs is slowly emerging, so it's something that I'm going to keep thinking about.
Now the camera is up and running, a new laptop is here and I'm happily still reading about anthropology, ornithology and welding.
Onward.
