I’ve been taking pictures of construction on my walks around Grand Rapids. Buildings in progress, barriers, equipment, and signs telling you that the route you expected to take is closed.
Some days, that feels like an unnecessarily accurate portrait of starting over.
I’ve survived AIDS and a stroke. I’ve returned to work after disability. I’ve walked away from an abusive, homophobic family. Now I’m writing, taking photographs, and learning how to get my books and blog posts into readers’ hands.
There isn’t a neat “before” and “after” with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in between. Some parts of my life are working. Some still need attention. Occasionally, the person running the project would appreciate a nap.
Construction gives me a useful image for that unfinished stage. You can see the disruption long before you can see what the finished place will feel like. The unfinished work is right there in public.
It’s easy to become impatient when your own progress is unfinished and visible.
I want the finished book. I want the blog post with its pictures in the right place. I want the next step to feel easier because I’ve already worked hard on the last one.
But putting things together takes actual steps. Today’s task might be reading one draft carefully. Tomorrow’s might be choosing the photograph that belongs with it. Neither looks especially impressive from a distance. Both move the work forward.
A closed sidewalk also asks a practical question: where can I go from here?
That’s a question I can use. I don’t have to enjoy the detour. I do have to find a route that works with the abilities, energy, and resources I have today.
These photographs belong on FindMeRaw because they show something ordinary that I recognize in my own life. There’s activity, inconvenience, and a lot left unfinished.
I can still take a picture worth keeping.
What part of your life is under construction, and what’s one step you can actually take this week?
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