It's the little joys of things past.

The last few days have been tough, and that's okay.

A few years ago we were in London and I always have an itinerary of things to do, or more so serve as a guide of ideas and places to check out. One of the places on the list was to visit the Tate Modern. We had spent hours in the British Museum, which is my all time favorite (seriously, give yourself a lot of time to spend there!) so I was looking forward to exploring some modern art.

While it didn't end up being my favorite, I still had such an appreciation for the art and the artists whose works filled the halls and walls. But this piece got me. It may not be that hard to tell from the photo, but the sheer size and grandeur of this piece struck me. And I stared at this piece for a great deal of time.

Ironically, friends of ours were in London a year later and my friend was captured by this piece as well. Art is funny that way. So why post this now? It's been a weird week, to be honest. I turned 40 on Monday - in what would have otherwise been a grand celebration; oh how I love birthdays! - and thankfully that has been an absolute bright spot in my week that otherwise has been weighted down by my lack of understanding the behavior of some people right now.

I try to stay on top of the news (it's part of my job and I have always been tuned in) and I pay attention to what is happening around the world to the extent I can. The devastation and loss of life is haunting, and as a small business owner, I am well aware of the implications this has had on people's livelihoods. Yet, I am downright befuddled there are people who appear to not be taking the current crisis seriously and feel it is okay to endanger themselves and others for whatever justification it is they have convinced themselves of to allow for such negligence.

So while I fully believe it is okay to allow yourself to let the emotions do what they need to do, I am also not one to let those emotions live rent free taking up head space that could be spent focused on other things. That is why I chose to look back at my old travel photos, a quick pick-me-up and reminder of the good in the world. I do not take it for granted the opportunities I have had to travel this great world of ours.

Looking at these old travel photos and reflecting on trips reminds me of some of my fondest memories. This specific piece is Los Moscos by Mark Bradford, and is a loose interpretation of urban sprawl. The artist used paper fragments for the materials, which he says "act as memory of things pasted and things past."

I hope that through all of the ups and downs we are experiencing right now that you are finding peace at this time and can reflect on the joys of things past while remaining hopeful for the greater joys ahead.