Remember the seasons
#74: As the light zapped the bugs, we reflected on ourselves, ft. notes to self and snaps of summer
The changing of seasons is as pertinent a time as any to reflect on our growth and who we’re becoming. A year and a half into a pandemic, it’s easy to skip over the part its played in our lives recently — especially amid the dumpster pies, giant gators, raging fires, and oh yea, Hurricanes and trash juice…of our present moment.
Yet I am still thinking of the pandemic and the way it’s changed us. On the porch with my neighbors the other night (which is a tale of pandemic-time itself), we were talking about this unique moment in our lives and the personality shifts we’ve noticed in ourselves.
Many of us, in the earlier days of lockdown and fear, began to long for what we missed most — and that consequence became a special maneuver in realizing the needs we most denied ourselves. Every feeling and desire felt magnified as we stayed in our homes and wondered.
In awakening to our needs, we have re-evaluated what we have the patience for, what we should tolerate, our capacity for change. All of this learning, I think, has begun to sink into the background of our lives. But the best part of this great upending, in my opinion, has been the growth in our willingness to change and the general flexibility that comes with shifting circumstance.
As we fall into another season in this old abnormal, I hope we can all find a fresh moment to consider what changes might be coming, how we can respond to them better, and inch ever closer to becoming the people we want to be.
Notes to self ✍️
PERSPECTIVE
Life is a burden or life is a blessing. You choose your perspective.
SPACE
Give people space to grow. What you give will circle back to you.
TAKE IT LITERALLY
More is more. Less is less. Energy creates energy. Rest creates rest. You don’t need to flip everything on its head.
Links for later 🔗
Snail Mail Can’t Help But Confess
The best news for sad-girl-indie-rock fans is that Snail Mail has a new album on the way. The interview is cool too — I love when young people are self-aware and articulate; some are emotionally intelligent in ways that most adults will never be.
Bill Blain – A Walk Around the House
A short film; a portrait of an artist. But not in the usual sense of these things, because Bill considers himself a failure. It’s only about 10 minutes long, but there is a lot to be considered here. Profoundly, at the end of the film, he says of his dog, “She wants attention, but she doesn't know how to receive it.”
Photographs for Louisiana
A print sale ft. the work of 26 photographers seeking to raise funds for ongoing recovery efforts and a more equitable climate future across South Louisiana.
Extra, extra 📷
Tattered slips of summer, from when the sun paints through our petrochemical skies. A bus parks on Baudin, matted with beige and framed by the myrtles. Houses by the lake borrow short metal poling — the light and the water wash right on through. Nothing, and no one, gets through summer without a pass. It forces us inward – into the shade, into our homes, into ourselves.
“I can only be vulnerable, I can only live into my own values, I can only invite others to join me, and to teach me.”
ADRIENNE MAREE BROWN