Transitions
On consistency, fall and where we're going next
Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are the dead.
-Aldous Huxley
If you’ve been with me a while, you may have noticed
showing up in your inbox a bit less often this fall. I wrote about this in my last post — and was really touched by the responses it elicited from some of you, including , , and . Your comments and encouragement have helped me to re-frame my perspective. I am so grateful for you! Thank you.
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When I sat down to write this morning, the windchimes outside were gently clanging in the wind. Surely there must be a more poetic word than clanging but you get the idea. I once bought a friend a windchime as a wedding gift. That was many years ago. Just this year, I hung a windchime at home. Who knew such a simple thing could bring so much joy?
The sun is out today and the green leaves outside my window are set off nicely against the clear blue sky. Elsewhere, the leaves are turning all shades of yellow, orange and red.
I love fall but am often slow to embrace it. I’m sad to lose the warmer temperatures of summer and the longer days. I’m the one in the produce department still buying the last of the peaches when everyone else is excited about the new crop of apples. I’m the one with fresh tomatoes neatly arranged in a grid on the counter, like some sort of reverse advent calendar to fall. Each day another few disappear. Last night we had our last fresh BLT sandwich. Transitions can be hard.
But I’m ready. I made some hot mulled apple cider the other day. I raked leaves last weekend. We have pumpkins. I love fall — I do.
How about you?
Up next
Long-term, I may embrace seasons with a theme like
does in , but I’m honestly not there yet. Still, I would like to give you a sense of where we’re going.The Sphere and U2
Earlier this year, I mentioned that my brother texted me about seeing U2 in Vegas. Well, we did and it was amazing!
I am planning to focus on the venue, the Sphere, and the concert experience in a pair of upcoming issues once I process all of my photographs. The architecture and design of this venue is truly unlike any other. (And if you’re at all a U2 fan, you should seriously consider finding a way to go — they just released more dates and tickets through January-February 2024).
Urban Environments
Another theme that I’m excited to start writing about is urban environments and considering the tradeoffs that different urban planning and zoning choices create. I will be sharing some observations from my recent visit to Japan, including about subways and signage.
Beyond this, I have a growing backlog of potential post ideas in Trello and excited to keep sharing with you.
If there’s topics or themes you are particularly interested in, please let me know.
The best way out is always through.
-Robert Frost
I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thank you for spending a few minutes of it with me.
Be well,
-Bryce
I'm so glad you're going to schedule "seasons" or breaks, Bryce. And thank you for the kind shout-out. We need to normalize taking off time, on purpose, something we don't do in the US enough, and every holiday is centered around shopping/a sale. We need to see taking off time as empowering and healthy, rather than a sign of exhaustion or "weakness". We don't need to "power through" everything in life. Where's the enjoyment in that? And what's the point of doing anything if we don't enjoy it? Happy for you, Bryce. I'm sure the U2 show was amazing (still won't get me to Vegas, though, LOL). And one of the reasons I love my neighborhood so much is how walkable it is. Not perfectly so. But there's so much within a mile...restaurants, stores, banks, Post Offices, my PMB, farmers' market, Starbucks (sorry), wonderful urban hiking hills. I stay in my teeny tiny place because of that. And, if I were to move, that convenience would be required. Looking forward to what you'll be writing, Bryce. xo
I read an article once about how house and neighborhood design has effected how we interact with each other. It used to be we lived closer to each other (smaller lots), had front porches, no garages, walked more on sidewalks by homes where people were out...all making frequent interactions inevitable. Now we pull in to our garages, shut the door, hang out in the back yards, all to the detriment of knowing our neighbors. I'd love to read any posts you might write on that topic, if able.