Often we get caught up. I get caught up in the whirlwind of life.Thing move so fast, messages coming in, voicemails, call backs, drawbacks, driving here, running there.... Life isn't prone to slow motion. Life doesn't slow down, unless you do. Unless I do.
Sitting here at my computer desk, coffee already cold, sun streaming in through the trees... I meet up with my old friend Nostalgia. Periodically, unexpectedly, and often uninvited, we find ourselves face to face. Today it began with an email I got from a good friend and amazing artist Jennifer Jayden, which began with, "it's been a while and although we haven't chatted in ages you cross my mind lots".
While looking back, I am brought to amazing memories of my days at sea. My time spent bobbing around the globe, bumping into so many incredible human beings, spending split seconds with people that seemed like an eternity. I've been revisiting photographs taken at the time, over the span of nearly six years of my life... one thing is brilliantly clear, I didn't miss a thing. My dad once wisely wrote to me during my travels "soak it all up, Once gone. Gone." And soak it up I did, as well as document it. All of it.
These images are not just travel images to me. They are a reflection of not only remembering the places traveled to... but more for the people who traveled there alongside me. Each image, brings back such a flood of memories, smells, tastes... brings back sailing into Venice for the first time with Sharon Stanley... "girl, you are going to freak out". (and I did) Wandering around Santorini with Lucille, our hearts so full, I thought for sure there was no substance in the world that was strong enough to contain it. Running around at the Great Pyramids of Egypt with Paul, touring Barcelona with Irene. Halifax with Caro, Cassie, and Abri... Anguilla with Kim and Kim. The Caribbean with the Kim Miller... Papeete with Jen. Vietnam, China and Japan with Dave.
People have asked me where my favorite place has been, or which country was the best... and I do have my favorites, but most of the time its the memories that go along with the place, the people, the experience as a whole, and not just 'the place' that makes it so special.
In a place where life is just moving so fast, I often find it helpful to reflect on not only where I've been, but the intricate connections that have sustained and fueled me along the way. Here are a few of my most precious memories.
