Lately, life has felt nonstop. Between work and obligations, I lost track of my own breath. This photo and the poem that followed are a reminder that sometimes the best direction is simply to pause and be present.

Driving toward the Hoh Rainforest, I didn’t expect to stop. But at a quiet turnout along Lake Crescent, I saw something (someone) Robert would’ve noticed.

I’ve had to let go of the life I thought I was building. Something unexpected shifted my course, and I’ve been quiet here while I found my footing again. This photo, taken in the chaos of wind and water, felt like the right place to start sharing again. Not everything broken stays broken—and sometimes, after the break, something new can root.

A quiet moment on the trail from Storm King Ranger Station to Barnes Creek where ferns, evening light, and a slow kind of becoming offered a reminder I didn’t know I needed.