Here we are, already in the second month of 2023. The last entry I truly sat down and wrote was in September of 2021.

In 2020, I was excited and ready to go. I was loving being home with my family all the time. I was getting comfortable in the new role I had taken on at my corporate job. I was enjoying the photography work I was doing on the side. The fact that the world had slowed down had given me a chance to regroup and find balance.

As a matter of fact, that was my “word” for 2021. Balance. I wanted to maintain the balance in my life I had found. Then, there were back to office orders,  new challenges at work, new responsibilities at home, and more demands all around. Balance was not something I had in my life. So, I slowed way down. I stopped accepting photography offers. I barely posted in the photo challenge group I created. Work had me spinning and I just wanted to my time outside of work to relax with my family.

So, in 2022, I took a time out. I deleted my photo group. I suspended my photography page and blog. I basically disappeared for a while. I posted a few pictures on my personal page, but not many. I didn’t even take my camera out of the bag. The only pictures I took were with my phone. I just wanted to be present. I wanted to take a step back and concentrate on myself and my family. I wanted to reevaluate my career and were I wanted to go. I have always had a plan career wise, regarding my next steps. I didn’t have one, and I needed one.

I took a leap and left the company I have been with since I graduated college and moved on to a new adventure. I went from the “go to” person, to the new girl. The one that knew something about everything, to knowing nothing. I was starting over in a sense. It was scary. It was stressful. And it was worth it.

So, here I am, back at it and ready for 2023. More on where I am with balancing it all and how later…

For now I just wanted to say, hello, I’ve missed you and want you to know it is ok to take time for yourself. 

Sometimes, you need to just take a step back for a little bit. Sometimes you need a timeout.