A minute ago, I got up to take my clothes out of the dryer and wash my face, brush my teeth, etc. And something just kind of struck me as I was drying my face on a towel. I really like my life. It’s nothing spectacular, but it is fairly amazing.
What did I do today? I drove to work. It’s a production day so I shot one thing and then sat around doing busy work. Then I went to Subway but the line was too long so I got a burrito at the Mexican place across the way instead. I ate it in the conference room. I came home after work and took a big nap. I putzed on the internet when I woke up. And finally, I washed my face and had this simple revelation: As horrifying boring as my life can be sometimes, I love it.
Now don’t get me wrong, if every day was like this I might get a bit more down on myself, but most days are much more interesting. Every day I’m somewhere new, talking to new people, having new conversations. Perhaps I’m so content with my life because, as a photographer, I don’t just live my own little life, but a little bit of everyone else’s. I don’t need a lot of friends, a lot of money, or a lot of excitement. I have variety. And as long as I am constantly learning, I can’t really ask for anything more in my life.
When I was younger, even just a few years back, I never imagined myself where I am right now. I was going to live in China, travel the world, and once I became a photographer, I wanted to work my way up to a big-city paper. We all go through phases where we want these sorts of things, and I feel like a lot of people get down on themselves when their life takes a different path. But maybe, if you’re like me, you come to a point where you realize you don’t even want that path anymore. You’re happy where you are.
Maybe my younger self would be disappointed, but I don’t have any aching desire to travel the world, to work at a big-city paper again, or even to marry rich. I got my travel itch out as a teen when I traveled the world every year, and now I feel there’s so much to do and see right here in America’s backyard that I’d rather take road trips on those glorious two-lane highways. Of course, I am always on a quest to see new things so I would gladly accept any opportunity to travel abroad should one present itself, I just don’t mind if it doesn’t. And as great as it is working at a big-city paper and shooting incredible assignments, I’m just not happy in the city. Once I headed west and left Minneapolis behind, everything changed. I credit my move to Jackson for altering my view of what makes a person successful. It’s pretty cliche, but I think I found myself living in that little mountain town. Clarity overwhelmed me. Whereas work was always my top priority before, I discovered my top priority, as it should be, was myself. And this has been one my proudest achievements in life thus far.
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