Abby Raeder Contemplative Photographer
  • Home
  • About
    • About Abby
    • Artist Statement
    • NGOs and Me
  • Gallery
    • Everyday Wonder
    • Through The Looking Glass
    • A Space To Breathe
  • Musings
  • Contact

With Pen in Hand

10/21/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
How do you know when a chapter has come to an end; and how do you rally the courage to write a new one?

​Twenty-five years ago somewhere, deep in my mind's creative lobe, I designed a home that checked all my boxes. It was to be a getaway in the mountains of Vermont but turned into much more; this house became my passion. In just a few short years this dream project went from my imagination to an actual blueprint, to breaking ground. I was involved in every aspect of the design and building process, and loved every second. Nothing was done by chance, everything was intentional, right down to squirreling away crystals in the walls to ensure good vibes.
Picture
My son was eight when we first walked the land, we imagined all that we would do on the vast rolling expanse. He was the one that named the property, Wildside, after Lou Reed's classic hit, Walk on the Wild Side. How fitting a name. Over the next twenty plus years we celebrated every holiday in this glorious home, enjoyed all the seasonal activities the Green Mountains had to offer, became an eager student of the mysteries of the woods, and raised 3 Newfoundland dogs, as I watched my son grow into a confident married man, now living aboard.

​In the silence of the star filled evenings of Vermont, I now find myself asking the question, in my life's story, is the chapter titled Wildside coming to an end?
Picture
​It's easy to stay put, to keep the status quo, but at what cost? Would I forfeit my next chapter because I am be too comfortable? Am I shying away from new challenges as the years roll by?
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived... I did not wish to live what was not life... nor did I wish to practice resignation... I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life." ~ Thoreau
I'm not done challenging myself, no matter how titanic the decision of selling the family home is. Growth comes in the uncomfortable and challenging spaces, and the day I stop venturing into uncharted waters, I might as well just pack it in.

​So how does anyone say goodbye to a home that has protected you from the fierce winters, warmed you with its crackling fire, cooled you with its glistening pond in the summer heat, and fed the souls of all that crossed its threshold? I don't have the answer, but what I can tell you is, making the decision is heart wrenching.
“I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to do.” ~ Georgia O'Keeffe
Am I ready to write a new chapter? Are any of us really ready?

​Live in color,
Abby
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    ​MUSINGS

    An image alone sometimes feels insufficient, that’s where Musings come in. A space where words and images come together to tell the story.

    Musings List

    MAILING LIST

    I promise not to sell, rent, or share your email address with anyone. Ever. ​

    ARCHIVES

    December 2022
    October 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

© 2022 Abby Raeder Contemplative Photographer - all rights reserved.
site powered by MaryHiggins webdesign
  • Home
  • About
    • About Abby
    • Artist Statement
    • NGOs and Me
  • Gallery
    • Everyday Wonder
    • Through The Looking Glass
    • A Space To Breathe
  • Musings
  • Contact