Blog Resurrected - Ryan McGehee

New Year, Deep Thoughts

I started to look through my notes for a topic to write about today, going through the various ideas my mind began to take a journey away from the scratchings.

It hit me hard that I am at an inflection point in my life.
One of those rare moments in time where I see 20 different paths before me, and see the ones that got me here.

It is a rarity that the new year truly lines up with one of these events in ones life, but this year for me it has.
I don’t know what the future holds, one never does, though we may have hints.
Right now I don’t have a hint, I can see what is possible on some of the potential paths before me…the risks as well.

It is intriguing to me how in this I can feel light as a feather one moment, and the next smothered with the weight of the world. Our brains and emotions are weird that way.

I sat down the other day leading into this to consider what 2025 would mean to me and if I would have a mantra, slogan, or goal for this year (some years I do, some I don’t).
As I tried to distill my thoughts into something meaningful I landed on

“To be an example of what can be done – for my children, grandchildren, and those watching”.

This has resonated with me over the last couple of weeks, so I asked myself for some words/qualities/examples so that I can visualize to help embody it to make this a reality.
These are the terms that came up for me at this time.

Versatile
Innovative
Creative
Helpful
Inspiring
Caring
Skilled
Able
Strong

A tall order.

Recognizing the world is changing quickly for us in many ways – you can see the influence of that concern in my thoughts.
Also knowing that I turn 50 this next year and if I want to be an influence in my grandchildren’s lives leads to the others.

Holding this in my mind as I look down the potential paths before me.
I pray I take the right one and tread it boldly.

I have started writing again and instead of publishing them as I wrote, I have been building a stockpile of thoughts/articles to share with you all again.
I wanted to have a few in the pipeline so as to not have a lag, I have found once there is a lag in writing it is too easy for me to just stop instead of doubling down.
This year I am committed and have found the system that is working best for me.
That this article is the first to be released wasn’t planned, but as I wrote it this morning I did as Hemingway said,
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

Of course with this one, once you read it, you will have realized I had no other option than to release it this week which makes it the first in the newly rebooted Scenic Journey series.

I hope you choose to stick around as I explore photography, creativity, and the human condition.

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