Photographed on the Oregon Coast – North of Newport | Nikon D7500

The sky was heavy that day. You could feel the weight of the clouds before they even broke. The wind had that kind of edge to it—the kind that doesn’t say “run,” but “pay attention.”

This shot was taken during a pause in the storm. The light broke through just long enough to set the ocean glimmering like metal. And in that moment, I felt a strange calm. Like I was standing in the breath between chaos and calm. Between what just was… and what’s coming next.

Sometimes I think life works the same way. Most of us live in that space between storms—carrying the memory of the last one while bracing for the next. But it’s in those quiet, uncertain moments that we get to choose who we are. Do we soften? Do we harden? Do we grow?

If legacy is built over time, then I think these are the bricks. These pauses. These choices. These glimpses of light breaking through when you least expect it.

Maybe my legacy isn’t something I’ll ever fully see. But I hope it looks something like this photo—honest, quiet, and full of storms weathered.

– NV