Tourist

"This town don't feel mine. I'm fast to get away."
-Deftones, "Be Quiet and Drive"

"If you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born, it's time to go."
- Death Cab for Cutie, "You Are a Tourist"


While working in Pottsville the other day, a place I've visited probably hundreds of times, I found myself walking around the small city, taking pictures of random things. The same occurred the next day in Jim Thorpe. It's happened a bunch of times recently in my home town of Palmerton.

Strangely, I recall that there was a time when I didn't find this area interesting enough to capture in photographs. What's changed?

Me.

I've taken a lot of pictures of things that I find interesting, things that are unique, and things that I want to remember.

I've moved around a lot recently, and now home feels like a place I'm just visiting. And so I take pictures of what I see around me, like a common tourist.

It's a sign to me that I'm not where I really want to be just yet. It's a sign that I'm here to experience this, remember it, learn from it, and move on. And occasionally, take some pictures along the way.

I love my friends. I love my family. I love my home. However, it doesn't feel like my home any more. It's not what it used to be, and it will never be that way again. Nothing remains frozen in time. And this isn't sad...it's just the way it is.

I feel like a tourist. It's time to go.






Coincidentally, there are no pictures associated with this post.