These timeless streets bring tears of elation to my eyes. They make a chaotic life worth living. To feel at home amongst a landscape so far away from my habitat was compelling. Yet, I understood where the sense of belonging came from. The respect, the empathy.

During Iceland’s warmest day of the year, en route to Kirkjufell, I instantly fell in love with the residents of Grundarfjörður. What was originally a quaint pass-through town on the map suddenly evolved as the most striking destination of this entire assignment.

A pregnant mother, painting the front yard fence with her adolescent son. A senior couple, gardening their lawn. Students jumping on a colorful trampoline. Everyday, unplanned moments. Everyday, hard-working folks. A simple life with real simple problems.



Story 60. Another milestone. Another year of good mistakes and healthy agony.

And yes, another one. Grundarfjordur at Snæfellsnes Peninsula in West Iceland.



You can lose track of time quite easily in Iceland with the lack of nightfall.

I must have spent all day and night in friendly Grund, walking and waving.



Iceland sure knows how to get its sun tan on. Everyone raved about the heat.

And those who did not verbally express it, typically had very little clothes on.



The intimate stills captured on the ground rivaled the drone by a long shot.

Emotion and facial gestures. Mountain backdrops. Everything is beautiful.



Neighboring Grund to the west is Kirkjufell. 1,500 feet in elevation. Fame.

Day 6 all-wheel drive itinerary: Reykjavik to Kirkjufell via Grundarfjordur.



Aggressive Arctic Terns, dive-bombing as I capture their nesting location.

Mountain peaks and long exposure of waterfalls with neutral density filters.



Sunday Service Choir

The mentality is that a new day allows for a fresh start. 2019 introduced what real, real life is like. Just when one feels the worst is already behind them, more self-inflicted damage makes itself at home. With age comes greater responsibility to listen and consume wisdom.

What pain do I want in my life? What am I willing to struggle for? As the game proceeds, this question must be answered definitively. Because those temporary highs do not solve problems. Only rituals can set greater standards and allow for that fresh start.

It was not at Iceland’s most popular mountain, Kirkjufell where I was able to reflect. Nor in the largest city of Reykjavik. Not even Blue Lagoon’s lava salt scrubbed my problems away. Mentally, everything happened to fall into place while in Grund. That psychotherapy.