If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s taught me to live. For the last five and a half years, I lived the same life, doing the same things, creating a routine that fit and worked for me. I received my photography degree in December of 2018 and only got out to take pictures when I went hunting. 2020 has changed that thinking and that’s why I’m starting “Finding Nature’s Beauty”.
On March 20, I was officially laid off from my job due to the pandemic that we are facing today. At first I was excited to have a few weeks off, thinking that it would only be a few weeks, but that few turned into seven. Many people tell me that I got to enjoy unemployment benefits while I was laid off and you know what I did, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. My mental health took a nose dive. I started drinking at least three cocktails a night just to get through the craziness of my quarantine. And when I say quarantine, I was literally quarantined for seven weeks because I worked as a PCA. I couldn’t see my family, which was the biggest struggle of all.
I finally returned to work as a Massage Therapist on May 11th and things still weren’t getting better. I was getting into my own head and worrying about my life, my past, my everything. Then on Memorial Day Weekend, I found the North Shore. Yes, I’ve known about the North Shore and have been there before as a child, but the North Shore during a pandemic, with everything shut down, is something else entirely.
Have you ever been to Leif Erikson Park on London Road in Duluth and looked at every stone? Have you been across the Aerial Lift Bridge and just sat on the beach and watched the water? Have you ever been to Two Harbors and explored downtown? I hadn’t either. When you go to North Shore, you want to hit the shops and explore Canal Park and watch the ships come in. Trust me, I do too because there’s sentimental value in watching the ships for me. But, there is so much more to discover. Follow “Finding Nature’s Beauty” for more discoveries with me. It won’t always be the North Shore, but it will be a fun adventure for all.
