Getting out of a Rut
At the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, North Carolina
I can pretty easily find myself stuck in a rut in life, and unfortunately, it generally takes me a while to even notice that I'm stuck.
For some reason, though, when summer is nearing its end, I feel a giant universal kick-in-the-pants, alerting me to look at my life and see where I am, because something needs to change.
Maybe I'm feeling the swiftly approaching fall.
Maybe I'm hearing the call of the trees?
Trees: "Yo, man, I'm ready for some change!"
Because I too am ready for some change. And I'm not talking about any major change, just some slight shifts to make life feel a little more exciting and new again.
Last year, right around this time, I started going to a new place every week, to get to know the area a bit better, and to add some more joy and excitement back into my life. You can watch the video I created on it here: (Link)
That adventure lasted for about 10 weeks (though I don't believe they were all consecutive weeks) and then I somehow completely forgot about that commitment to myself—I'd be lying if I said that was the first time that had happened :/
Well this past week, I once again felt the call to change and decided it was time to revisit that commitment.
One of the new things I did this week (because I went a little over-the-top with this challenge) was visit the North Carolina Arboretum, and I brought my camera along with me.
There's something about trying something new and unknown in a place that you already know. I've only been in North Carolina for just under two years, but in that time I've already developed a list of places that I routinely visit, and I rarely step outside of that routine, because it's easy and it meets most of my needs.
The problem with that is when you already "know" a place, a driving route, or even a person, you often go on auto pilot and miss a lot of what's truly there.
But when you're in a new place, driving a new road, or meeting a new person, you pay a lot more attention. You engage parts of your brain that lay pretty dormant, when you're making your way through a routine that your subconscious mind knows so well.
It's like my brain is feeling excited again, getting to explore new places.
And not to mention, it felt really good to take photos again. I’ve neglected my photography a bit, with all my video making, so it was nice to capture some beautiful still imagery.
Hi, I’m Kristen!
I envision a world where you and I rediscover what it is to be human, through connection with ourselves, each other and the natural world around us.