If I’ve ever had an obsession, mystery would be it. As a kid I was infatuated with anything in the realm of the unexplained: Halloween, magic, riddles, codes, astrology, puzzles, fortune telling. I grew up wanting to be a spy and an archaeologist (with a rad indie rock band on the side)…and I can’t say much has changed.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve seen life as the greatest unsolved mystery. One that has never, will never and can never be completely solved. I’ve always felt inspired by the fact that none of us really know what we’re doing. We all have theories, beliefs and hopes about why we’re here and what we’re here for; but in this reality, it’s all just one giant enigma. A mystery we may never solve. And the funny thing is, I don’t really want to solve any mysteries. I’m happy to simply discover and admire them.

Mystery has taught me to always keep searching, to not let life become stagnant. To adventure to the ends of the earth…and also in my own back yard. To turn the ordinary upside down, inside out, and search for uniqueness. Mystery has taught me that magic is real. Maybe not in the form of Disney movie animation, but I promise you, it exists.

Mystery is made up of multi-dimensional rainbows during a sunny downpour; a smack of jellyfish dancing under the beat of heavy raindrops; a swarm of brand new mosquitos glued to the car window and making us squirm; and stark, crooked, leaf-less branches reaching toward the grey Autumn sky.

And it is so beautiful.

our different sameness is a project between a group of photographers celebrating our differences and sameness through images and words. Click the link and take a minute to see what the whole group came up with for this month’s theme! You can see my past contributions to the series here.

– m