Dear World,

I will never buy my niece and nephew toys, ever.

︎

As a photographer, and generally curious person, I get to travel far and wide. This curiosity to see the world has absolutely shaped my beliefs and who I am as a human. That all started after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. When you lose everything, you are forced to make decisions about what is in important in your life.

When traveling, we often take back home keepsakes from the places we visit. I always like to collect natural elements as a reminder of the places i’ve been. A seashell; the stone that felt just right in my hand; sugary white sand from a postcard worthy beach.

When my nephew was born, I started taking a little extra with me. When I got home, I would bottle it, label it, and attach a little note: “Here’s a little piece of the world, until you can see it for yourself.”

A few years later, my niece was born and a little more earth made it under my feet and into my suitcase.


I have always been pretty certain that I don’t intend to have children of my own, so being an uncle is the greatest. All the highs of watching children grow up and rarely having to be the bad guy.

Christmas and birthdays come and go with the showering of toys and clothes, but I wanted to give something, though it would take years to understand, that would have lasting impact on them as humans.

Each year I put money in a fund for them with the promise they will receive it on their 21st birthday, but the stipulation they it can only be used for travel. With each little bottle of earth, I try to spark their own curiosities about the world and other cultures, with hopes that sometime after they turn 21, they will visit the places most curious to them.

Since I am on the road so often, and I don’t get to see them as often as id like, the little bottles on their shelves are reminders that we are always with each other, no matter where in the world we are.

The state of the world will always be changing, and I know that the time in which that piece of the earth I shared with them, and the one they get to experience for themselves, will be vastly different. I can only do my part to make it the best place for everyone that I can.



Sincerely,

Until You Can See it For Yourself

P.S.

Water is such an important element to my well being, and when the threat of a total local down loomed over us all, my anxiety, like most people’s, was at an all time high.

I am so fortunate for Hawaii to consider being in the water as an essential activity, and have been able to swim, surf, snorkel, and just straight up float through my days. The water has always been my saving grace and now more than ever, it has been the most essential thing to my mental health and well being.