Lea & Lens

If I wasn’t already aware, I am now. My husband does a lot around here. The big things, sure, I knew I was going to be on my own with those – and I was prepared. It’s the little things that have stopped me in my tracks and left me two breaths shy of pulling my hair out. He’s great at the little things and tackles them without breaking stride. I wasn’t prepared for how all those little things would add up. 

Needless to say, this has been a rough deployment and keeping up on all the things has left me very little time for photography, blogging, or myself. I had some lofty goals this year but you know what? Sometimes we have to push those back in order to get through our current season with joy. I’m okay with that.

So, what’s on the horizon for 2023? Well, I’ve given this quite a lot of thought and I’ve made a few commitments that I plan to carry through into the new year. The first is one I’ve talked about: I won’t be buying any gear I’m not confident I’ll keep for at least a year. My turnover rate was simply too high. The second is that I won’t be purchasing any NEW gear in 2023. It is definitely not lost on me (especially with my high turnover rate) that old electronics have to go somewhere when they die and if buying used gear and giving it new purpose helps to lesson the strain on the planet, that’s something I’d like to be a part of. The final commitment I decided on was not spending more than $500 on any single piece of gear. So, even when I do decide to add something to my kit, whether body or lens, it cannot exceed $500. That will certainly be tricky with the way inflation is playing out and unfortunately, I don’t think I’m going to find a Canon 24-70 f/2.8 for that price…oh well. We all have to make sacrifices.

2022 was the year I came full circle, both in life and in creativity. I finally got my health under control, and I lost 30 lbs as a result. I haven’t talked about that here really, but right around my 40th birthday in 2020, I started experiencing some symptoms and it took almost two years, a few doctors, a minor surgery, and a lot of personal research, trial, and error to figure out where the problem lay and get it all sorted out. Suffice to say, I feel like a new person. I also decluttered my life BIG TIME, including the amassed, but rarely used gear filling the drawers in my office. 

I’m ready to head into 2023 unencumbered, with a heart full of joy and gratitude. I hope you’ll join me.