sometimes we lie in the hammock, caught between the mesh

It's Autumn. I think the most change happens during this season. Everything is still so fresh and new, from the beginning of the semester, but people are slowly becoming more comfortable in their new roles, in their new lives. It's not that we've changed, but we've grown, and int he process the person we were last year isn't the same person we look at in the mirror each morning as we wash our faces and brush our teeth.

I love autumn. I get to wear warm sweaters and step on crunchy leaves and ride my bike up and down the streets while the cool, crisp air caresses my face. I let my hair grow long and maybe, on a special occasion, I'll wear it down. You'd be lucky to catch me with my boring brown locks out of a pony-tail.

Some of my best memories of last year happened during the fall. They're things I now look back on with fondness, and not with regret.

One of the best encounters of my life , and quite possibly the most life-changing was the day I met Dave LaBelle.

Dave was the photo adviser for the student newspaper I work at, and he was the person who really inspired me to pursue photojournalism. He believed in me from the very beginning, helped me when I had questions, guided me when I was lost, and was like a second a father to me.

I've never met a more genuine person than Dave. His heart is so incredibly big, and the amount of love and concern he has for those around him is inspiring. I can only hope to be half the photographer and person that Dave is. He has affected so many people around him, and changed the lives of so many people, including my own.

He's leaving this week for California to pursue his own personal projects, and get back to being a photographer. And I'm being selfish, because I don't want him to leave. I'm not ready for him to leave. Not yet. Deep down I feel like there's so much more to learn from him.

Just listening to Dave speak, I feel like I'm gaining a deeper insight into the way Dave sees things. Today he was talking to Elliott, and my friend Matt was in the room. I told him, "Stick around. You'll want to hear what Dave has to say." And he did. Maybe it was out of courtesy, or maybe it was out of curiosity. Either way, I think Matt gained something from it.

I'll have to say goodbye. At least, for now. I know I'll be seeing Dave down the road, at workshops and what not. I'm emotionally preparing myself for it, but how do you say thank you to the person who's influenced your life so much?

The least I can do is make him proud. And from here on out, that's what I plan on doing.