In the first week of November I sat inside a cafe built inside a greenhouse in Kansas City and drank a cappuccino. I took photos of the space, listened to the chattering of the birds that fluttered in and out of the plants around me and laughed as I watched them. I sat there and breathed in this new place and gave thanks for the chance to be there. And I was reminded of how much joy I find in exploring and discovering. Packing a bag and heading to a new place is such a wonder to me, and I do it far less than I wish.
“Even ‘small’ adventures like this are so life-giving for me. It feels almost like falling in love. All the strangeness and newness of it all … it’s beautiful.”
I was in Kansas City to meet someone who I’d connected with on Instagram, and go camping. And over the course of the next thirty-six hours I lived more life than I’d done in months. Making new friends, walking through woods and golden brown fields, looking out at the water, sipping on coffee and munching on delicious food. Conversation and silence and sunlight and breezes, and smiles and laughter from people I’d only just met and yet felt so near to. Stepping away from my endless routine and work life, from all of the things that I so easily take for granted and let slip by my eyes without really seeing, I found myself in a beautiful new place surrounded by good things. And in a time and place when so many are giving up on seeing life as wonderful and full of blessing, this was such a needed refreshment to my soul. From warm and noisy car rides to uncertain campsites, to three-story coffee shops and huge stone monuments, and time spent talking about my heart with people who were strangers mere days prior … what life there is around us, what beauty, what profound moments to be had.
Thank you, John and Liz, for giving me the chance to experience this with you; thank you for inviting me into your home, for showing me kindness and honesty, for being true to yourselves in the ways that you loved me. You are both richer than gold and more beautiful than pearls. In the brief time I spent in your home, I felt that it was mine too. Thank you to Austin as well — you’ve a heart of gold and a genuineness and humility about you that I found convicting, and it was such a pleasure getting to spend time with you.
To all those reading these words, I hope that you fall in love with life this week, and give your heart time to notice all the things that deserve your focused attention.
love,
— Joel
Geeky Things
Camera: Fuji X-Pro2
Lenses: Fuji 35mm f/2 & Fuji 16mm f/1.4
Location: in & around KC, Kansas
Notes: John and Austin both shoot with Fuji, so we had our fill of nerd-talk during this trip. I chose not to bring the 90mm along, so I made full use of the 16mm and 35mm, and of course they did the job admirably — and were admired by my new friends as well. As always, everything was processed in Capture One, and the colours are tweaked from Classic Chrome.