BWCA photographer

Tower, Minnesota July 2021

Vacations with my family are more important to me now than they’ve ever been. It’s the only time we all actually get to full relax together. Usually, I’m the only one on vacation when I visit Illinois. So the week we all spent in Northern Minnesota doing nothing but swim, canoe, read and make meals together was incredible.

It was a restorative week of listening to my body and mind’s needs. I taught myself more about slowing the pace of the my life down and being more intentional each day. Why spend time doing things that are unfulfilling or that cause stress?

Each moment of life is magic, every moment is the most important and no moment can be relived.

I’ve spent the past 3 months or so recommitting my life to doing things that align with my beliefs and having stronger boundaries with work and rest. Because we’re humans, we are innately worthy of receiving good things and enjoying life. I do my best to treat each moment of life as a ceremony- because it is. Since shifting my thoughts to this new perspective, I’ve been able to get myself to a better mental place than I’ve been at in over 6 months, but I would not have gotten here without choosing to fully trust myself to make huge changes. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s always the perfect time to change your life <3