Life Finds a Way

Whew has it been a weird minute! It’s hard to believe five months has passed since I last wrote on here. In that time, we’ve watched ours and everyone’s world shift, contract, get turned upside down….so much has happened, so much has changed that I can’t form my thoughts on the state of things with any brevity fit for a blog post. Blake’s been working from home full time since March, and like everyone else, we’ve been largely cooped into our house together since. With all the extra plans, to-dos, and obligations of life suddenly stripped away, the spotlight at home has been a catalyst for us — we’ve talked much about what’s (really) important and what our future holds. And we’ve learned much, but there is one lesson I’ve learned from this quarantine period that is hopeful and true, which is this: life finds a way.

Like the way those oak tree buds are growing between the harsh metal grooves of a truck bed toolbox — even in the face of unlikely conditions, life will continue and might even thrive if you learn to go with the flow of your situation. I felt this expressly when it came to creating content while in ‘lockdown’. Being made to stay home led me to see my immediate surroundings more objectively, and helped me flex my creativity to use what I had at my fingertips. I found myself noticing every lighting scenario and interesting corner at home, and one day felt suddenly inspired by this un-assuming old truck that was Blake’s papa’s, lovingly dubbed “White Tuk” by Merritt. The sun was dappling through the trees, the toolbox trees were dancing in the breeze, and I suddenly saw all the potential of the blue-vinyl-retro-vibes of this humble truck. So we headed out to our driveway to see what we could do with what we had.

I wore this quarantine outfit on repeat. The pink button down is actually Blake’s; I’d gotten him some new workwear shortly before his company announced that employees would be WFH due to covid, and so many of those clothes are still unworn now. I one day thought to myself about this pink shirt, “hmmm if he’s not going to wear it, I will!” and did just that. I put these black biker shorts with it…something slim to balance the oversized-ness of the shirt. It became a favorite comfortable outfit that I wore so many times around the house. This trek to the end of the driveway was also my first time ‘out’ with my latest kicks — these pink checkered vans. High tops, of course, my fourth pair of this style that I love to wear with everything. They are the definition of retro: old, classic, and cool. You can’t go wrong. Oh and a little bit of fun with some cute printed crew socks. Stay-at-home lewk: mastered.

I don’t know that I would’ve been inspired to do a shoot like this, in our driveway, if I wasn’t so keenly trying to make the most of what I had at my disposal. When the world is stripped away and you’re just left with what you have, you can make misery or magic out of it. None of us can control the external events of the world, but we can always adjust our response and shift our perspective. Life finds a way. I kept this close to my heart as I navigated these past months and my ideas as a creator. And though I haven’t brought my content here to the blog for a beat, I’ve been creating, (sharing on Instagram), reading, journaling, learning, evolving, and I feel truly optimistic about how we’ve spent this time and what’s to come from here.