The Background:
I wrote this blog post last year after returning from a photography trip to Olympic National Park in Washington. I took this picture on the first afternoon at sunset in the Deer Camp area of the park along the Rainshadow Trail. I loved the amazing shades of blue of these mountain ridges, along with the hint of the sunset just at the edge of the scene.
The Message:
Despite - or perhaps because of - the amazing experience on this trip, when I returned home, I felt really “blue.” I was feeling tremendously uplifted by the trip, but for some reason, I came back feeling both physically and emotionally tired – and I really struggled to maintain the energy to face life. Depression can hit us when we least expect it, and it doesn’t always make sense. When it does hit, we don’t know how long it will last and it can sometimes feel like it will never end. I think, like this picture, the light and the hope are always there – but we struggle to see or feel it.
Looking back at where I was then and where I am today, I feel like a different person. There wasn’t a miraculous change in my life situation – but there was, perhaps, an equally miraculous change in my attitude. Today I still struggle to maintain my positivity in all moments, but I feel like I have a much better and broader perspective on life. I try not to let the stressful moments affect my overall attitude and realize that life is a complex tapestry and, when taken as a whole, it is both meaningful and beautiful.
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