Not only is that the name of one of my favorite Zeppelin songs, it also happens to be how long it has been since I used, posted on, or thought about this blog.
The last post was made during my exchange year to Switzerland. I had turned sixteen a month prior and a lot had changed in my life since I started the blog. I stopped photographing as much and found myself asking "why?" too often.
To the religious-avoidant, "why?" is a dangerous question to ask; eventually, you'll find yourself with only two perpetual answers: "To survive" or "I don't know".
The innocent things in life became quite stale and seemingly pointless. I often found myself with the thought that if it wouldn't result in a career, there wasn't a reason to do it. That was a fatal blow to any prospect I had of holding a hobby.
Photography brought me joy and purpose and it was the only form of art that I really participated in. I played music too, but not with the consistency or fervor that I photographed. Most importantly though, it enriched my relationship with Gram, who you'll see evidence of in nearly every post I made, and Pop, who I credit for my ability to slow down and observe the subtle beauty of the (natural) world around me. I regret that I stopped but there's nothing like a decade to put things in perspective. Hindsight, am I right?
My life got complicated and difficult when I came back after my exchange. Some Most of the problems I faced were self-imposed, but most some weren't. The problems were there before my exchange too, but when I came back I started having more agency over my problems. Once I graduated high school, things got better and then got worse. Now things are better, a lot better actually.
Since my last post...
I graduated high school
I started college
I went to rehab
I dropped out of college
I experienced a global pandemic
I re-enrolled in and graduated from college
I moved to Oregon
I became a tax auditor (who would've guessed)
and so much more
If anybody reading this notices that I've forgotten to include something important, it's probably because of all the weed I used to smoke. Kidding (...?)!
I've rambled on about the past enough and am running out of typing steam. I'll likely just be posting about my plants but I would love to return to photography soon. Cameras are expensive though. Maybe I'll start saving.
When I thought about who my audience would be, I felt I'd just be writing to myself and to Gram, because that's what it was like before except for the occasional visitor (dad). However, I'm a lot farther away now, and it's possible that others will check in to get a glimpse into my life.
This video is a tour of some of my "work-in-progress" plants from a few weeks ago, but a lot has changed since then. I'm still trying to determine how I want to do these videos if at all. Enjoy!
