I think that we’ve all met one of them.  At some point in time in our life.  Somewhere along the road.

We’ve all met one of those people whose presence makes you want to reach…to soar…to grab hold of the very best version of yourself.

These people are rare…they are precious…they are collectively what navigates the world towards a better place.

And when you meet them…you know.  You feel it.  They radiate it.  We all become better for it.

I met Crystal for the first time in the Houston airport…just minutes before our flight to Belize.  And while the rest of the world hustled to make their way…she just flowed through the terminal along with her dark hair.  She was calm.  She was patient.  She was peaceful in any given moment.

The thing about Crystal is that she’s done the work.  The hard and sometimes frightening work.  She’s leaned into the hard questions and the hard feelings…and instead of resisting it…she’s let it take her away.

And all of that hard work…has taken her…everywhere.  From Canada to Africa to Central America and back.  But for all of her wanderlust…all of that hard work has also made her one of the most genuinely grounded people you’ll ever meet.  Because her work created roots – of who she was…where she wanted to go…and how she wanted to live.

I had the immense pleasure of spending a week with this beauty in Belize and doing so made me want deeper roots as well.  It made me want to feel more grounded in the world and life I live.

We woke with the sun to do these photos on our last day in Belize.  The ocean was calm…the sky was radiant…and even the dolphins joined us long enough to take our breath away.  And these images are some of my favourite that I’ve ever taken.  Perhaps it was drinking coffee at dawn…perhaps it was the complete silence that surrounded us…perhaps it was just waking up in paradise.

But the reality is…it was none of those things and all of those things…

It was a moment.

A moment that I settled into instead of missing out on.  A moment that breathed in instead of rushing through.  A moment that I let happen instead of seeking to happen.

It was a moment I learned how to appreciate…because this amazing girl…taught me how to…