I am chock full of imperfect analogies and incomplete thoughts these days, but bear with me. It is very easy to live in a shrunken universe, where the only relevant things in our lives are our kids and our spouses, our jobs and our communities, our paychecks and our neighbors. Good intentions, passion projects, causes close to our hearts, the art of empathy - when it feels like there aren't enough hours in the day, we turn inwards, even at the expense of others. Recently, I stayed close to home, and in doing so, I failed to speak out and lend my voice where it is needed.
As a parent, all instincts point towards protecting my children. Yet, I know deep down that the best protection is to send them into the world as competent, compassionate, thinking people, even if that means teaching them hard things and letting them fly on their own.
Of course, the best way to mold competent, compassionate, thinking people is to be one myself. And so, I will try to do better and be the kind of role model I want for them. In the meantime, I encourage the adventurous souls in my home to find the joy in the unknown and tackle their fears. In this particular instance, in the second-to-last car of an upside-down rollercoaster.
Please continue to Who We Become to see our collection of images this month or travel to each photographer individually, starting with the incredible Lisa Rigazio in Maryland.
Hershey Park, November 13, 2016