David Bartels

It may seem a little early to be reflecting on my 30 day challenge when I'm only 1/10th of the way through it. Could I really have learned anything after such a short time? Sure I could have! I want to keep my writing momentum going and while I'm sure I'll have different takeaways when the month is over, I also think it'll be interesting to look back at how I felt when I was just getting started. For those who missed last post, the challenge is simple: take at least 1 picture every day for 30 days. Observation 1: Winter is probably not the ideal time for this challenge. I'm realizing that I prefer to take pictures outdoors, as I think most people do. Many of us find beauty in a body of water, cityscape, sunset, or wildlife, and therefore we are more inclined to try and capture those things. The problem with winter here in Minnesota is twofold: it's really cold, and it gets dark earlier. So I am less likely to be outside over lunch and when I do leave work it&#

Well, after a solid 3 posts in August I have neglected to write here for the last 3 and 1/2 months. While I can justify my absence for the much of the time due to purchasing our first home as well as some health issues, I can also say that recently things have settled down and my lack of writing has been more due to distraction with easier ways to spend my time and hesitation for fear that I needed to orchestrate an epic, memorable post for my return. But I have realized that instead I just need to set things in motion again and so here I am announcing my pledge to do my first 30 day challenge , which is something I referenced in my first post. I've set what I feel is a very achievable goal for my first challenge: take one picture every day. There is part of me that wants to do a challenge that seems more obviously aimed at self-improvement, for instance walking or meditating every day. But these take more time and therefore are less likely to stick, even for what seems like a sm