adventure time

Geneva, Switzerland

my mom still teases me that I was the little girl who was nervous and scared of everything. she likes to remind me (and tell others) that I was the little girl who wouldn’t even hang from her knees, upside-down on the playset in our backyard. and yes, I was nervous about some things (but I did hang upside-down, thankyouverymuch) and it was a really big deal if I tried something new, such as the year I was the “one on top” of the rings during our gym show. I climbed up into the rings and flipped upside-down while three girls climbed onto the rings below. then, we spun. and I didn’t die. but then, several years later when my parents dropped me off at Kent State for freshman orientation and the start of college, I all but ripped the bumper from their car because I didn’t want to stay on a campus where “they shoot kids.” I had never learned about the Kent State shootings in school, and since it never came up in casual conversation, I’m the silly girl who went off to college in Kent, totally oblivious that anything had ever happened there other than innocent coming-of-age stuff. bullets? yikes. no idea. then, I was scared. and I was scared again my freshman year when a gunman was loose on campus, shooting random people. I couldn’t seem to shake the nervousness. it always followed. until it seemed to ease a bit. somewhere along the way, on my journey from there to here, I also found a bit of a brave side. an adventurous side. I learned to do things on my own. take more risks. I allowed my passion for adventure to take over and lead the way. and because of it, I’ve seen places and met people I never would have had I stayed inside my nervous shell. and I’ve learned that the more you get out, the more you need to get out. so, if I could do it, you can do it. what are you scared of? what would you do if you could do anything? where would you go if you could go anywhere? do you have the courage to explore on your own? to reach deep within and enjoy the peace that comes with quiet? would you take any of these paths … see where they lead? oftentimes the road less traveled really is the most interesting. I have found a common theme among my thousands of photos, and that is these quiet moments, oftentimes right in the middle of the most hectic cities. I still find those deserted alleys, quiet walkways, off-the-beaten-path adventures. which would you take? what intrigues you? where would you be right now if you could be anywhere? and what are you going to do to get there?

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