photo fridays
hello friends, strangers, neighbors, and those I hope to get to know! i want to welcome you to my new corner of the substack world.
why photo friday?
a few years ago i noticed my own need for connection, belonging, presence, and peace. i found myself intentionally slowing down + staring at my actual life. part of my practice involved taking photographs of my mundane, middle minutes to remind myself that glory + goodness were greeting me in my right-now reality. this practice has helped ground me in presence + peace. i’m privileged to say i have incredible friends whom i love dearly, but most of them live all around the world, and i’ve felt disconnected. for many reasons, i’ve also lost the level of belonging i once felt. because of this, i decided to start sending my closest friends photo friday updates where i shared random words that found me throughout the week and pictures i’d snapped in my ordinary days. three years later, this rhythm still sustains me.
over the weeks of photo friday exchanges, i’ve witnessed the power of intention- of presence, peace, connection, and belonging. my spirit + soul have been nourished in more ways than i can number, and i sense the invitation to share with a few more folks. so, here i am:)
photo fridays have been a way for me to share parts of my heart + stay connected to my closest friends. it’s my hope that beginning this blog (if that’s what it’s called:) can help create a space where you feel safe, seen, and inspired to slow down, notice, and name your mundane, middle moments of life. i hope we might connect through the commonality found in our humanness. i hope my pictures taken, often with little thought, and my random words, mostly written when i need them, help you remember that you already belong.
what you can expect
well, reader, i’d love to tell you just what you can expect. until recently, i’ve always needed to have a plan and know what’s coming. i value honesty a lot (if you stick around here any amount of time, you’ll find this out for yourself:). and i want you to know, i can’t quite tell you what will come of this. i don’t know how frequently i’ll write photo fridays (i do know which day of the week they will be posted!:). i don’t know if i’ll only share about a specific theme. i don’t know if i’ll have more photos or more words in my posts, or if anyone will choose to read what i write. what i do know though, is that i’ve discovered a deep well of creativity within me. i do know that the love i’ve learned to give to myself is longing to be lived out. i do know i’ve taken the pressure to please anyone away, which makes me feel free. i know the practices of presence + peace + connection + belonging are things we all need. i do know i’m committed to creating space where our souls can be seen, and this seems like the next step for me.
so, if you’re curious, like me, as to where this will lead, please subscribe! keep this space for yourself, if that’s what you need. sit down + read my words with a cup of tea (that would make me SO happy!). invite a friend to join us here if you think it’s something they’d enjoy receiving.
what i know you can expect is me, showing up wholeheartedly. i’m attracted to authenticity and that’s how i’ve learned to live. i’m learning to honor my humanness + love my limits, and because of this, i can’t make any more commitments. i trust this will be a space of presence + peace + connection + belonging. so i invite you to come into this corner of community + watch what could become.
blessing as we begin
may you find space for your being to belong while we continue to wander in the wilderness of our lives. may you find a community of connection in this corner that comforts you in your chaos. may my words help you feel held while you walk with your happy + hard life. may my pictures bring presence + peace that invite you to pause in your days. as we begin again, may we remember we already belong.
I can’t wait to see what you share here 🤗