I love hiking. A long walk in the woods is good medicine for many of the things that ail me. As my legs fall in to a rhythm, my mind slowly gets quieter and quieter. My shoulders relax and my eyes soften. Soon I’m pausing to notice the color of a leaf or the sound of bird […]
Shifting Gears
It took four days for my brain to downshift. It’s been so long since it happened that I didn’t recognize it at first. On a hot morning on the New Jersey seashore, I strolled along the boardwalk, the Atlantic City skyline looming to the north. As I walked, little things caught my attention. The feel […]
Clearing Skies
I have a habit of deciding to go on hikes on a whim. I may or may not have water or even an idea of where the trail leads, but I’m always game for a long walk. This morning I woke up restless and feeling like getting out of town. So I drove 70 miles […]
Routine
At the end of a long journey, I often experience a longing sensation. It’s a specific and peculiar feeling: not an eagerness to go home as much as an eagerness to return to a routine. The feeling always surprises me, because I have an uneasy relationship with routines, habits and planning. We all are entrenched in […]
Wooden Shoe
In the past month, my Instagram feed was lit up with images from the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. Like the Steiner Irises later in the spring, this is a way for flower growers to sell bulbs… and for photographers to go a little nuts. This photographer is still trying to figure out her (not so […]