I had to go to Atlanta last week for work. While I loved seeing my friends there, I couldn’t get back to my tiny island fast enough. There is not a single thing I miss about the suburbs. Not a single thing.

While I was in Atlanta, the crazy MAGA riot happened at the Capitol. I don’t talk much about politics on my blog. I have my own opinions and I understand that other people have theirs. We are not likely to convince each other otherwise, so what’s the point of arguing? I READ a lot of news and a lot of political commentary, but I turned cable news off long ago. It’s just a bunch of people squawking endlessly.

I was wondering if I should say something about the current state of affairs in our country, whether I should declare myself on one side or the other, or give my opinion about what happened at the Capitol. I decided against it. I don’t have anything earth shattering to add to the conversation, and I feel like the reason people come here to my blog is to see beautiful pictures of nature and to be reminded that we can live differently. Even if you don’t live on a remote island, you can connect with nature in your own backyard, like I used to do in the suburbs. You can live a simpler life, have a garden, make some of your own things, raise your children with some manners, and take time out of every day to appreciate simple pleasures like a steaming hot cup of tea on a cold winter day.

It is my hope that people can come to my blog and appreciate my pictures and be inspired to live closer to nature, to live simply, and to slow down. I would like to think that you could enjoy my blog even if our politics differ radically.

Rather than talk about politics, I’ll remind everyone that we have a lot of control over our day-to-day lives no matter who the president is. I would like to be more self-sufficient, so that I have even more control.

If you were feeling a bit down last week about the state of our country, I hope you’re able to get outside, clear your head and find some peace. My mom and I enjoyed a gorgeous day on the beach this morning. I found all kinds of things that washed up in the gale winds we had Friday night, including a whole starfish and three little Scotch Bonnet shells. I hardly ever find them whole, but today I found three!

Have a good week everyone! As one of my mom’s friends says, “Peace, Love, Hatteras!”