The past three sessions I have taken a selfie afterward. No exact reason. Out of mere curiosity, I suppose. Three sessions ago, I also found an interesting nature preserve that is right near the office.
I have explored it with my camera three times. See a pattern here? Three selfies, three solo photo expeditions. One time it was relatively warm, another time was the sunny bright day after our last snowstorm, and yesterday it was rather cold and gray. No matter what the weather, I have found something interesting to shoot each time.
Therapy (for me) can feel rather self-centered and insular. I spend the entire hour talking about myself and my feelings. There's nothing wrong with that. It is needed. But I often come out of it feeling self-absorbed and just wanting to focus outside of myself for a little while. So these jaunts I take in the woods, by myself, have been a wonderful way for me to decompress and witness the world around me. A world of both beauty and ugliness. Joy and heartache. Everything that I talk about in my conversations with my therapist.
Being alone in nature, with my camera as my trusty sidekick, is about as healing as my therapy sessions are. I decided to combine an after session selfie with an after session nature shot. These were taken on the same day, within hours of each other.
My eyes may be sad, but the sky is blue.
My heart may be weary, but the snow is fresh.
And I am ready for what comes next.
