On FB there is a feed that remembers our past each day. I personally like the social media prompt because it's a reminder of some really super great things. It highlights memories of things that often seem to stay the same, things that one might have forgotten, things that you wish you could forget, and the many MANY things you have gotten to the other side of. I find the memories can provoke a volume of closure and gratitude in me. 

Today, three years ago was one heck of a memory. I spent some time just being with all of it and realized that I did not process this topic very much on my blog. The topic of my move west. I did a very adventurous thing. I hinted that I had moved. Not much more. I took a month off. I drove 3200 miles solo. I was hosted by the kindness of many on the way.  I was told I didn't have a place to live the 4th day after I arrived.  Lots of stuff!!  As mentioned,  the move did NOT go according to plan. at all. overwhelm completely took over. I've been in that space of overwhelm at some level since.

Once upon a time I lived in a cave. a three room apt with a man and a dog. the cave housed half of my belongings, the other half was stuffed into storage - when i was no longer welcome in the cave - I put all of my belongings into an 8ft by 8ft cube and left all that I had ever known and moved to the great west. Thats the short version of all of that.

On THIS particular day and this particular memory.... the packing of the cube day. It was a very very emotional and tough day. Thankfully I had the help of one particular person who's kindness, patience and spare pair of hands got the task to the other side. We had to trailer all my things to a dock where the cube was. This saved me a tremendous amount of money. It meant loading my belongings twice. The man I was living with threatened not to show up to help. I had a lot of choreography riding on his assistance. When I think back on the drama of all of that. What a roller coaster ride. A waste of emotional energy. He showed up. At least there was that.

What was amazing about that cube is that all of my belongings, except for one single item, fit inside. My whole life in a cube! At a glance it really didn't seem possible.  I love the black and white picture of all the chairs because as intense as this day and evening was, I still found a way to express the me about it all, which continues to me the many reasons i love photography.

The first picture is the collage I sent with my deposit to roommate-zilla. Not having ever met her, and or all that transpired once I arrived. The collage is so spot on in representing that part of the story. 

The second image represents a day trek with a friend. We commuted things I had been holding onto for my kids to their fathers. I had done my part in keeping them. I had my final photo shoot in IL.

( which culminated into one of my most visited blog posts here! ) 

The view of the tractor. A slice of autumn framed through the window of the back door of the cave. Funny how beautiful something can be in the midst of chaos. I just like how it captured the time of the year. Autumn, and the dark of the cave.