2 Second Year 2019-2020
Camping in Chiora would present a challenge mainly because there is no direct way. I chose the least circuitous route and ordered a car in the morning which drove me up and around for about 6 hours through the Georgian countryside — which is when we reached a scatter of stone homes on the beautiful side of nowhere. The driver helped me with getting my backpack out of the trunk of his Prius and over my shoulder.
We had become friendly over the past several hours and were unsure how to separate. He even took on a semi-paternal role — very concerned about the amount of warm clothing I packed. When he couldn’t persuade me to stay in a hotel, we shook hands. I explained I’d be hitch hiking out. This didn’t worry him in the least. He then pointed to the sky and began to speak: “GOD…” Next, he pointed to me, continuing the sentiment, “…YOU…” He smiled and thrusted conclusively with his whole arm in the direction of the mountain. And also with you.
Shortly after this exchange, after passing seemingly ancient women carrying buckets of water, my phone was in a selfie stick, recording a very very short video of me in a shock of bright green grass with a mountain backdrop, smiling in disbelief. From early February until the end of November, I had the very unique privilege to travel in some very wonderful places. This year, like the past two years, I’ve also continued a tradition where every day (or nearly) I take a 2-3 second video. The compilation creates a video diary and the look back is always more surprising than I can anticipate.
The video begins and concludes in Minnesota winter.
I should take a step back. In 2018 I left my apartment in San Francisco, sold my things, and spent the holiday season in Minnesota. In February, I flew to Greece knowing I would travel, and when asked about plans for my return I said I wasn’t prepared to consider the question. There was too much that could happen along the way. While away, I made the decision to move back to Minnesota. The video then becomes a curious diary of Departure and Return, and while watching I wonder how and when I reached that decision.
The habit of taking a video every day does not come natural to me. The videos typically don’t capture the things I’d think to write home about. Rather, they’re captured when I remember I haven’t taken my video yet. Still, in over 330 video clips, a sort of abridged story about the year emerges. There are of course a few staged videos, but they’re rarely the most interesting. I love to see my niece and nephew get older through the year, and seeing the animals of different cities. There are a few neighborhood cats that get a lot of airtime. The collage itself is the story.
At the beginning of 2019 I set an intention for the year — “Transforming into joy”. The video is of course incomplete. But taken as is, I do see a year filled with the things I love — to name a few: I see my family, meeting new people, reconnecting with good friends, food, wine, celebration, a few trips to the opera, a few trips to the ballet, meeting dozens of my Cloudbeds colleagues in Ukraine. I see time made to read and write, passion for work, a lot of laughter. The year flew by but it’s a persisting joy.
