Standing in front of the mirror with my cordless clipper, my thoughts drift thousands of miles away. What now? I don’t have time for this. I need to get Mom to dialysis, fix the engine light on my car, deal with my looming tooth extraction, and navigate that uncomfortable conversation with the mortuary guy.

My mind races, making it hard to focus. I find myself reminiscing about my years of travel—just a few changes of clothes and essentials in a backpack, free from everything. Sigh... I want to get back to that. I need to reclaim that simplicity.

But daydreaming can be dangerous, nudging me toward procrastination. I drift through a stark landscape where vivid images flood in, only to vanish with the shifting lights and changing weather.

Then I remember all the images I’ve been “cleaning” for days. Some reflect my past, while others are vivid memories I no longer possess. I have no drawings or paintings from my earlier days—those dreams lost in my relentless quest to declutter. Sigh… what about all those books and rare LPs I threw away? Overwhelmed, I frequently find myself discarding things, and this urge to declutter has become my way of coping.

Decluttering leaves me physically exhausted, and I need a break; yet the thought of everything still waiting to be discarded lingers.

Amid this chaos, I find solace in capturing moments through my lens. While I know I’m no Magnum photographer and can’t simply snap a picture and call it art, I embrace the effort it requires. There are days spent searching in vain, waiting for the perfect light and composition, often ending up with just one or two decent shots—or sometimes none. Yet, now and then, luck smiles upon me.

These fleeting moments of clarity remind me to stay prepared, with my camera always within reach. “Fire at will,” I tell myself. It’s a mantra that helps coax creativity and offers temporary relief from the clutter.

Alright, I have fifteen minutes to finish my haircut. It’ll feel like a weight lifted—a moment of clarity amid the chaos, a chance to breathe before diving back into the whirlwind of my life.