life is either a daring adventure or nothing. security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure. ~helen keller
it was up to me, i would probably never get out more than five miles from my house. that is if i decided to leave my house at all. because you see, even at home, i can find magic just about anywhere.
truth be told, i am a small-town girl and i am very content with my small life. but even so… sometimes, i wonder if i confuse contentment with fear. if perhaps i like my small life because it feels safe.
it’s not that wanting to feel safe is a bad thing. but it’s so easy (and comfortable) for me to stay here in my little sanctuary and hide away from all the bad stuff out in the world. the only problem with that is i am also missing out on a lot of good stuff too.
i do not want to get to the end of my life and find that i just lived the length of it. i want to have lived the width of it as well.” ~diane ackerman
this year has really taught me the value of getting out more. expanding my horizons. because there is so much beauty and wonder amidst the dark and scary places.
it takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. but there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. there is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life and in change there is power. ~alan cohen
getting outside of my comfort zone has been…well… really uncomfortable at times. and yet when i did, i felt excited and alive.
so i am learning….s l o w l y….to embrace the adventure. the scary parts, the uncertainty, the uncomfortable. because that’s where the joy of discovery lives.
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from the archives
When I read your posts I feel so like you. Most of my images are taken in my very home, my yard. I really don’t get out too much and I’m happy to find the magic in my own home. It can be a pile of dirty dishes and I’m okay with that. I suppose getting out every so often is a good idea though. Beautiful images as usual. I’m really enjoying your blog.
i’ve always loved going on adventures, but i also love, love, LOVE being in my cozy little house getting things done (or not done, as has been the case this week!); it’s for this very reason that i schedule an “adventure day” once a week that is just for me and it has to be the same day every week, to get out and see arkansas—within a two hour driving radius of home, that is (gotta pick up the boy at 3:30 from school). i have a list of places next to my desk calendar, and i’ll pick a location, google the directions and away i go with my camera, water bottles and a snack. sometimes i may not want to go, but it’s those times when i really, really have the best adventures. i always come home feeling like i’ve been on a little vacation. good for you for getting out of your comfort zone, kelly!
Oh, I know what you mean. I am a homebody! My staying at home is a cross between contentment and being afraid. I have an anxiety order that keeps me away from people and crowds. I have to struggle with that every time I head away from home. But, I push myself each week to get out there, find a fun and interesting spot to explore and take pictures. Those little excursions really make me feel better about myself. I love the pictures from in and around your home. You have the most gorgeous light filtering in!