Solna, Sweden
19 May 2024 :: iPhone 14 Pro Max :: f/2.8 1/61s :: ISO-1000

Dear Stranger;

The first two stamps on my passport remind me of an unforgettable journey that brought new sights, new experiences, unexpected twists and turns, and perhaps most memorably, new friends. It's continuing to make an impact on me months after the fact, and it's given me a perspective shift about what it's like to be around people who have been made fun of for enjoying harmless things that bring them joy–and how important it is to respect that point where fun changes into some kind of hurt. I'll be forever grateful for this.

Everyone's threshold is different and can also change over time, so when "giving someone a hard time" becomes an annoyance or more, it's time to stop. My experience volunteering as a crisis counsellor has given me the tools to communicate directly and to identify the signs of when I'm starting to outgrow certain friends.

As August slips away, ...time turns flames to embers; you’ll have new Septembers.

Stay strong and stay healthy, stranger-friends.

Magically,
-j

Seattle, WA
4 August 2024 :: Canon EOS M6 Mk1 :: f/6.3 1/1000s :: ISO-200

Dear Stranger;

Every first weekend of August, the Blue Angels perform three shows that frequently have them flying over my apartment building as they position themselves and reconfigure their formations for the next pass in front of the audience. These past two years have been particularly wonderful for me to watch as there was a little bit of Minnesota pride in one of the pilots, LCDR Amanda Lee, who also happens to be the first woman jet pilot in the history of the Blue Angels. Sure it's a bit disappointing that it's taken this long from a historical perspective, and while we cannot have that time back, we can move forward on a new and better course; nothing says we need to stay with how things once used to be.

And yet, as we look around today, there is still so much further to go and so much work still to be done.

The same goes for ourselves–we need not stay where we used to be, and when our expression is met with dismissal, then maybe it's time to recognise the paths diverging and keep heading toward that place where we truly want to be. I think it's fair to respect boundaries, be aware and respectful of one's discomfort, and immediately stop when the fun starts to become pain or annoyance. I think it's fair to expect this to go in both directions, and I think it's fair to be intentional in choosing what friends seem to be listening and what friends might actually be outgrown.

Onward we grow.

Magically,
-j