Eastern Shore, Virginia

Evenings on the Eastern Shore.

The leaves from the dune grass and crepe myrtle trees rise and fall in the warm, salty breeze and shine with yellow gold halation. The golden hour seems longer here, lasting from mid-afternoon and into late evening, just before sunset over the bay. I'll be here for the week, and so, enter the summertime slowdown.

It is day two of my stay on the Eastern Shore. This place is the slow down paradise. When I travel to quiet places like the Eastern Shore, all of a sudden, I find wide-open space in my day. Hours and hours of empty, unallocated time. Waiting to be filled with anything or nothing at all. For months, I have been looking forward to this open time. For better and for worse, I am a bit of an over-thinker. Slowing down can be really difficult for me. I really enjoy the feeling of being productive, accomplishing the tasks of a busy day, especially when it comes to my design and creative work. We are all encouraged to do more, not less.

How does one unoccupy the mind and focus on being present and comfortable within unstructured space? Still figuring it out. I’m realizing more and more that slowing down takes practice, both in finding the time to slow down and practicing the mindset. Slowing down isn’t about doing nothing, it’s about making time for things that you care about that you never get a chance to enjoy.