Have you ever traveled halfway across the earth but recognized almost every you met? Thats how India felt for me. I do it often— where I travel to new places, places I’ve never been before, and spend SO much of my time wondering, “when did I meet this person before?” India was no different. From the cities to rural villages I was convinced that I must have, in someway, met people before. The thing I could most compare it to would be the wizard of oz— where everything is so new and so different, but oddly familiar at the same time. I love that feeling. And I loved it at an intense amount in India.
It’s almost silly how many pictures of my feet I take. (ALMOST silly). I mentioned this on instagram last year, but I’ve always done it. I even got a hateful comment(s) about it on my blog about 5 years ago. Long before the days of “from where i stand” posts and “looking down” hashtags. I just took pictures of the angles I saw best, and many times it just happens to be where I stop and take a minute to look down and see where I am. As I stepped into the Taj Mahal and looked down I thought, “well look where my feet took me now” — years and years of taking photos of every moment– magical and not and I was stepping my way into one of the wonders of the world. My own form of Oz– my own form of dreaming magic.
I’m finally healing. Or I’ve been healing, but I finally feel less antsy about it. When I wrote last month about the feeling of needing more and wanting more– I think what I was really looking for way my health. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely, 100% want to feel a stronger connection with the sun and the earth beneath my feet– I’ll always be searching and striving for that. But for the most part I was just itching to feel more like me. To go through this journey and feel home again, to feel like myself again.
I can’t wait to make it back to India one day. I can’t wait to make it as many places possible one day. Even Marlowe turned to a friend of mine the other day and say, “my mama wants to go everywhere.” She’s right I do. I want to meet more of those familiar faces, to feel more of those strange connections where I spend every single minute asking myself, “how could I have met this person before? how is this possible?” I want to go everywhere. And stop every step of the way to document where I am, before I go somewhere else.
3 Comments
I love seeing your photos from India. Travel is amazing. I hope you guys find the place you're looking for – I know you guys might want to move and explore new places. I spent 4 years in Europe moving from place to place with my husband. We're back in the US now but we know everything in life is temporary and plan on moving again one day π
I do feet photos all the time. My boyfriend makes so much fun of me, but I don't care! π He says "you are such a girl" every time I do it. Ugh! Am I really!?!
These are so incredibly beautiful. I do the same thing (photos of my feet at home and all over the world) and I too have always done it, since I first picked up a camera at 13. I travel to India a couple times a year for my work (http://priyamglobal.org) and these photos make me miss it so. There truly is no place on earth like India. (And that tie dye photo!! Breathtaking – a piece of art itself)