I took this photo towards the end of a two-week trip to New England in September 2012 . It was one of those “bucket list” trips, (even though I despise that term,) and I had spent a week in Boston shopping, visiting museums, going to Red Sox games, and eating – instantly falling in love with the city and its’ people. On the second half of the trip, I drove around northern New England – through western Massachusetts, Vermont, coastal Maine and New Hampshire – taking pictures, exploring towns, sleeping in Bed and Breakfasts, meeting interesting people.

I used to be the kind of traveler who planned trips to the most minute detail – hotels, flights, sightseeing, shopping time – but over the years, (and after several thwarted itineraries,) I began to relax and let the trip take me where I needed to go. I still make sure I have a place to stay each night – because really, who wants the stress of driving around in an unknown place looking for lodging on a rainy night, (which trust me, you do not want to do, especially in a small town in central Ireland,) but now I just open my eyes and ears to take in the world around me. Most of the time.

This photo sort of represents that idea perfectly. Sometimes I over think and analyze people, situations – just stuff in general, really – and at the moment I took this picture, none of that mattered. It was one of those instances of self-reflection where the inner critic has been silenced and I was able to just experience that moment.

I remember pulling into an abandoned parking lot next to a seafood shack that had closed for the season just to watch the sun set. There was something about the way the light reflected off the windows and the grass shifted in the breeze that caught my attention. I could hear the seagulls squawking behind me and I felt completely at peace with myself and the world around me. I had left behind a stressful sales job, crazy family, and strict routine to just be. It had taken some time to finally relax and settle into the lazy pace of driving and discovering, but once I did, it seemed to awaken something inside of me that I hadn’t felt in years – a sense of inner peace and knowing that I was okay.

Later, I headed back to the Bed and Breakfast where I was staying and drank too many martinis while getting to know a few of the locals – which to be honest – was just as enlightening as my experience earlier that afternoon.

However, I experienced no inner peace the next morning.