Despite what I wrote on the picture, I like the "little to correct" part of this quote the most. I have a general "no regrets" attitude in my life. Even my most questionable choices and actions have given me a really interesting life and I don't regret them.

But even without regrets, I can see some things I would correct if I could go back. Not a lot but some. Ways I would react to make a situation less fraught, things I would say to smooth over the trouble instead of intensifying it, times I would definitely have walked away instead of engaging. Corrections that would have changed my life? Perhaps not. 

But every life can use a little fine tuning, right? 

Is this funny cuz it's true? I think so.

Happy Sunday everyone XO

I had previously said that I would spend November going over some of my past pictures and seeing if they wanted to be reinterpreted somehow. But I find that I can't. I look over all my past shots from 2018 and while I still like some of them very much, I have no desire to go back and spend any time with them. I want something new. I think I'm a little bit in the same space I was a year ago at this time where I'm not sure where to go next so I have to keep taking pictures and see where it goes.

I watched Bohemian Rhapsody yesterday, the new film biopic about Freddy Mercury and Queen. I think they both deserve a better film treatment but I was impressed by Freddy's desire to move forward. He didn't want to stick with what worked. He wanted new horizons, new costumes, new personas, new sound. And he trusted that the audience would follow him.

I admire that. 

Lord help me, there's so much commentary the day after an election. Everyone spinning the results to draw the lines more clearly to establish who lost and who won and where it matters. 

It's agony to look at the big picture. It looks like very little has changed and we're gonna be this divided hate-filled country forever, constantly and forever fighting each other, each side trying their best to destroy the other side. And maybe that's true. The USA is a mess right now.

But the truest thing I read today is that change happens on the sly, when we aren't paying attention. That's how our last election caught everyone off guard, because change happened while everyone looked the other way.

So yes, this election is a big deal and it's the forefront of the news. But what else is happening? What's happening on the sly? What small communities are gaining ground? What young politicians are making a difference? What artists are chipping away at established thought patterns and changing minds?

If we are what we pretend to be, then let's pretend to be people who push away the national outrage and look at the small unobvious things. That's where the change happens. 

Today's a big deal in the USA. It's our chance to vote in the midterm elections and make a difference on a local level, which can translate into big changes on a national and global level. I'm not sure there's ever been a midterm election as closely watched and highly anticipated as this one. 

As everyone in the world now knows, our last election was a massive upset and it's been some amount of chaos ever since. I'm not a Trump supporter. But I'm also weary of the current culture of outrage. I would love for the pendulum of politics to come to a middle ground and see the various political parties each have a voice.

Personally, I'm a registered Democrat. But I frequently vote outside my party lines because I think balance is important. And sometimes Republicans and Libertarians and the Green party have better ideas and strategies than Democrats.  I don't vote to eliminate the opposition. I vote to take care of my communities and promote new ideas and new voices.

I want to see younger people in power. If there's any lesson I took away from the last presidential election, it's that the old guard has officially fallen and we're in new uncharted territory, We need new young voices to navigate social media and politics. We don't need seasoned politicians. We need fresh eyes and new strategies. 

Today I will vote to give a new untried person a chance. What we used to do isn't working. Let's try something different. 

If you live in the USA, GO VOTE. 

The Sinful Sunday prompt is "transmogrify," and since I'm still in the throes of #witchyNovember, of course I went for something creepy. 

Photo manipulation is very difficult for me. I'm much better with the initial poses and lighting and framing than I am with any after effects. However, I liked how this turned out, even though it wasn't what I intended initially, I actually took this picture awhile ago but I much prefer it in this very filtered form. I like the way my face is mostly blacked out and the flooring looks like a padded room. 

I don't often follow the Sinful Sunday photo prompts, mostly because I'm terrible at planning ahead. But the few times that I have I've found it a fascinating photographic exercise, which, of course, is the intent. So, thanks for the prompt, Molly!

And happy Sunday everyone. Xo

I love this shot and the filter and the quote. But I'm not sure I love them together? It was a tough picture to caption, or maybe I was in a weird head space. I put this all together yesterday on the last day of the job I just finished. It was the first day of November, All Saints Day, and I really wanted to post something moody and reflective. I love it when the picture and the quote come together easily but this was not one of those times. I'll probably revisit this picture at a later date and see if I can do a better job.

I do love this time of year, though. I just got back to my (temporary) home city and it's grey and witchy out, with lots of falling leaves. It feels full of the last bit of wild yearly energy before the snow falls and everything goes quiet. It's also the Day of the Dead. For the Mexicans, today is a big colorful party, which is how they celebrate just about everything, to honor the spirits of their ancestors who temporarily come back to earth and need food and drink and candy. As one does. 

I think of the Great Perhaps today. For me that's a location and also a mindset. My ancestors are in the Great Perhaps. I'll meet them there someday, if they decide to go back after partying all day today. And my current life falls into the Great Perhaps territory of not knowing what's happening next.

For now, I'm really enjoying November. I hope you all are too. 

XO