It feels like a year has passed in the blink of an eye, but somehow, we’ve reached November 2023. I was first introduced in the Yakima Herald-Republic in November 2022, which means this month marks one year of my column, “Wandering Central Washington.”

I’m very grateful for this opportunity to come full circle with my childhood dreams of pursuing photojournalism while also utilizing my conservation background. Being able to communicate and share information and stories with you has been one of the great honors of my life.

Over the last year I’ve found myself actively seeking out different perspectives and tidbits that I can share with our community. I approach even the simplest act, such as going for a walk, with a new perspective. I’ve noticed that I’m much more aware and inquisitive to things around me – such as staring at the changing leaves outside my window and imagining what the inside of a leaf looks like as chlorophyll breaks down. Having the ability to share these thoughts and musings with my community has made me more positive and outgoing. It’s given me purpose and I believe it’s changed the way I approach most days, even the not-so-great ones.

There’s value in writing and taking photos – even if it’s just for your own diary, a shared journal or a blog. The benefits of writing are far reaching.

According to Psychology Today, regular writing is beneficial for mental health as well as personal growth. Writing is known to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and can even be used as a form of stress management. While these statements may be more geared towards keeping a personal diary, I personally believe that these benefits can be achieved even with creative writing or photography.

Psychology Today goes on to describe the increase in creativity, improved memory and self-awareness as a result of regular writing. The act of writing can stir up unique ideas and insights, and writing down experiences and particular details can aid in memory function and serve as a reminder of the meaningful moments in your life.

Forbes detailed an entire article on the benefits of embracing photography as a hobby. Prior to the smartphone, photography was much less accessible. It was an expensive, time-consuming craft that required specialized equipment, especially if you wanted to develop your own film. Today, I find that one of the few benefits to owning a phone is having a camera in my pocket that is comparable to a low-end professional camera.

The article reinforces a few of my core practices. Taking photos every day and capturing small moments of happiness with not only family and friends, but also inconsequential moments of beauty throughout the day keeps me engaged and immortalizes the good times. Rather than fixating on the negative, I’m actively using photography to try to train myself to notice, capture and reflect on the positive aspects of life.

While you most likely don’t write for a newspaper, you can still write for yourself and perhaps even for others too. Organizing a low-effort photography or journal club that meets once a month can spur you to write stories, share experiences and seek out special moments within ordinary days.

Having a community to share thoughts, feelings and interesting observations with is a great way to encourage yourself to seek out new information. Have you ever driven down the road and watched the clouds float by and pondered over how they exist? I find that having a reason to write forces me to think of new prompts and research the meaning behind many everyday occurrences that I take for granted.

I hope that you find this as inspiration to pick up a pen and paper, a camera, or clack away at a keyboard to document some of your thoughts and experiences. Remember, you don’t have to be a professional or an expert to enjoy or benefit from a hobby.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you Yakima Valley for tagging along on all of my musings, rants, and thoughts, no matter how big or small, for the last year. As autumn turns into winter it’s my sincerest hope that you can get outside and muse about your own wanderings.