The Trail Looked Peaceful. I Wasn’t

I painted this trail from memory, but the colors kept coming out wrong. The trees in Merrimack were supposed to be calming—sunlight on moss, a quiet path through the woods. But all I remember is how loud my thoughts got when the trail emptied out and I realized I was alone, really alone, in a way I hadn’t felt in months. I took a photo that day, but never posted it. It felt dishonest. The painting is the same: it’s not about the trail, it’s about how much I wanted to feel okay out there, and how I didn’t. Maybe that’s what I keep trying to paint over. #Travel #TravelConfessions #UnfilteredJourneys