I’m not sure if it’s my age or where I am in life or if it’s simply the time we’re living in, but lately I’ve been longing for wide open spaces. Windswept. Exposed. Uncluttered. Expansive. I long to feel a little lost somewhere with my thoughts and my heartbeat. Enough space to both dream and remember. These last few days I’ve been thinking of a road trip I made with my kids last summer to California.

On our westward route, my son and I stopped to explore the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. It was unbelievably breathtaking.

This part of the country was unlike anything I’d experienced before. I loaded my Pentax k-1000 with Lomochrome Purple 35mm film and tried to take it all in.

I keep thinking about how simple last summer felt. Everyone was still living under one roof. I knew the routine. We had our traditions. This summer, however, has been filed with ambiguity and with more questions than answers. My husband and I moved our oldest into his college dorm. Our daughter got her drivers permit. New routines. New traditions. It’s a bittersweet time in our lives; filled with deep joy…and also a little sadness…a longing. Life feels like it’s rushing past and I wonder how we got here so quickly.

I think back to the wide expanse of the salt flats and the wind against my face.

I remember the beauty and the light that afternoon.

I return to this place in my mind and I’m filled with gratitude. And if I listen closely, I can hear my dreams whispering to me. ~ Laura