I am turning 40 in just one week and I am kind of freaking out. Today when I was in yoga I made strength and vitality my intention. This is what I want for my 40th birthday. I want to be strong again. And I had the thought “I want to get back to myself.” Then I realized, what a poor choice of words. I don’t ever want to go back to who I once was. I want to move forward to myself. A stronger, wiser, more beautiful version of myself.

Better than ever.

This is a photo of me in the front of a Cessna as we were about to take off from Kinshasa, headed for Gbadolite. These are some of my favorite Congolese moments, moments I miss dearly. Flying in that small plane, looking across some of the last, untouched swaths of rainforest on the planet, heading to the bush to capture the beauty of the place. But this is something I don’t want to go back to. I want to move forward to it. With all of my new found wisdom from having looked very closely at my photos during this past six months. Making note of how to do it better the next time. When I move forward to my next trip to Congo, I will be better than ever.

Magic 216/365, Moving Forward, February 27, 2016