living deep studio

“Human relationships are rich; they’re messy and demanding.”

No, I didn’t write that sentence I started out with. Credit goes to Sherry Turkle. I sure wish I wrote it, though. Because, well, it’s so sublimely true.

Relationships are all of it: Smooth. Rocky. Delightful. Annoying. Transformative.

For me, they make life worth living. My deepest joy comes from connecting and being in relationship. No wonder I do the work I do.

I’ve also been married for 26 years. When I look back at the ride so far my heart goes all funny.

We’ve covered a lot of ground together. We know each other better than anyone else. We’ve seen into each other’s brightest rooms and darkest corners. We’ve loved each other through the full spectrum of life and color.

And our relationship, like most, has been an unfolding story. A continuing story.

The story has taken some unexpected turns during the past year. Some unexpected sadness and loss, but also some unexpected bounty. In fact, we were were a little stunned when things we’d hoped and planned for happened much faster than we expected.

Like a new job for Dave. And buying a cozy little getaway in Sonoma County, one of our favorite places on earth.

These are such good things, I know. But even good things throw your life into the chaos of transition, especially when they happen long before you anticipated they would.

So over the Thanksgiving weekend, Dave and I decided to honor this next chapter of our lives together by making a relationship collage. It’s backed entirely by images of trees, many which you can no longer see. But the trees are there, in shades of light and dark.

Trees. Growing. Branching.

Our collage is full of what we love right now and what we desire for the future. And it grounds us in a shared vision for our lives, as we carve a path through the forest ahead of us.

Making a relationship collage is like getting a warm and comforting embrace, a hug that says, “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. We’re in this together.”

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