Neighbourhood Walk
Everyone has been struggling with COVID-19 in various ways, and I’ve been no different. I’ve had to be on stress leave from doing photography for the health region for the last several weeks because, frankly, after losing my dad back in November, I wasn’t interested in losing another parent due to a global pandemic and started having panic attacks. While being away from the office helped to a point, the panic attacks continued and I had to do therapy with not one, but two therapists. As I had always shared my love for photography with my dad through my life, one of them suggested that in order to help with my anxiety and the grief of life-as-we-know-it changing, compounded by the loss of a loved one, one exercise that my company therapist recommended was to go for a walk with my camera, get photos out in nature and . But I kept avoiding it. It wasn’t until my boyfriend pointed out that I probably didn’t want to because I normally work with people when I’m shooting, and knowing that I couldn’t shoot or work with people, it didn’t feel appealing at all.
So it’s been a long couple of months, and slowly I’m having to re-open, and will be going back to work at the hospital soon too. There’s been a lot of self work going on. But my anxiety has been a little more under control lately. And I got out tonight! And I took the camera out for a nice long walk around the neighbourhood. And it felt good. While I wasn’t working with people, per se, I was able to visit with neighbours and the nice lady who let me photograph her dogs, Henry and Olive, and it felt good to be out and shooting.
I thought I’d share some of the grabs I got, doggies and squirrels and cats and flowers, to the Gods!
Olive (foreground) and Henry protect their homestead!
Carson popped by just as I was getting home.
Squirrel!
And the blossoms all around!