#88 Putting running shoes on

Since my last newsletter, I’ve been very much stuck in a bit of a hamster wheel, waiting for that one break between the clouds (read: work & responsibilities), kinda like today where we’ve had three hail storms with 5-mins of blue sky and sun in-between (that’s England for you) and I had to go rescue our cat who was happily hiding somewhere cosy and dry.

But I realised the only way to break out of the hamster wheel is to actually make myself step off of it.

As it happens, it was a beautiful sunset evening, one of my cameras was just about charged, so off I went for a wander.

Imagine my walk kinda with that Olivia Dean’s vibe:

I have one route (with a few small variations) that gives me a solid one hour and more of walking, depending how fast I manage to get back (it’s uphill!) and if I take any extra detours.

This time of the year, I find nothing more romantic than that dusky light as the sun’s going down and everything colours in light oranges, pinks, and purples. The light is so soft you could touch it.

I usually put a good long-form video on to listen to, something I’ve downloaded from YouTube so I can listen to it offline. I’m kinda over podcasts at the moment, although no doubt I’ll get back into them again, but there’s something soothing and relaxing about a slight repetition of one person’s voice to help you switch off a little bit and just let your legs do the walking.

We have a big field near us for horses to graze on. Once, we went on a local walking route and Google lead to the back of it. There was no signage so we thought we’ll continue so we can get back onto the road and head home but ran into someone who worked at the horse field and told us off. Since then, I don’t even attempt that walk and just pass it on the main road.

I’ve heard a few Brits refer to horses as ‘ponies’ which I find quite endearing. It makes them all sound so small and silly, and in a way they are—they’ll get scared of their own shadow and yet they could easily trample a human without even trying.

I’ve always been big on finding small things, moments, places to appreciate, to fall in love with—wherever you live. As an immigrant in particular, I feel it can help you feel more at home, more settled, if you can find these little things that bring you peace and calm.

And I know a thing or two about places that are not aesthetic and still learning to see something beautiful in your surroundings as someone who’s lived in Soviet-style block of flats. So, just trust me.

When you’re out for a sunset walk, you know how fast the light changes. You’d be seeing the brightest warm colour just beyond the hill and you’d think it’s just a few mins walk away, but you can miss it so easily. No photo can be the same because it’s constantly moving on and the hues are shifting, but that kinda adds to the fun of chasing it.

And you can say anything you want about the decline of smaller English towns, but sunset makes even the most mundane corners look so visually pleasing. At least in my eyes it does.

But you just need to make yourself get out and about to see them. Whatever your city or town, or village, those corners do exist, but you need to go look for them.

Have you noticed anything on your latest walks? Break yourself out of the auto-pilot even if just for a moment. Our brain craves it and will thank you for it.

P.S. I’m in Germany shortly, and am hoping it gives me an even bigger ‘reset’ so I can come back to things that bring me the most joy and fulfilment, and yes, of course, one of them is photography.

That’s all from me this week—if you enjoyed this newsletter issue and haven’t subscribed yet, you can click the button below. I’d love to have you here! Hopefully, catch you next week.✨