“No one can make me stop living this moment for me.”

The lyrics hit like a ton of bricks. Is it true? I don’t know. But it feels like it.

As I continue to spin around the world, there’s this nagging sense—like something more is out there. It tugs at me, pulling me down from the stars just when I think I’ve taken flight.

I have loved my best friend. I’ve experienced true love—young love, older love, love my own age. Boys… girls. My very best friends say my life is a mess. They’re not wrong.

And yet, I’ve met the most incredible people on this journey—more than I ever could’ve imagined. Some are travelers like me, others are locals just living their everyday lives. I show up and try to sparkle in my own way—the only way I know how: by being me. Authentically, unapologetically me.

I’ve had it all—the house, the cars, the stability. And today, I sit here with freedom… and very little else.

I have fewer clues about what tomorrow looks like than ever before. And I mean literally tomorrow. It’s scary. It’s hard. Honestly, it’s overwhelming. But it’s the life I chose—the one I worked hard to create. I have to trust my instincts, take a deep breath, and keep flying forward—untethered by what’s considered “normal.”

Right now, the urge to grasp onto something—anything—is stronger than it’s ever been. But I can’t let myself fall back into the known. To keep running, or spinning, might just be the only way to resist life’s gravitational pull.

In all of the above (yes, I hear the sappiness too), I’m still deeply excited about what’s ahead.

As I sit aboard the British Airways A380 from London to Miami, leaving only my second European adventure in the rearview mirror, I can’t help but reflect on the fourteen-night journey it took to get here—my first-ever transatlantic sailing. Fourteen nights on a ship versus nine hours in a plane… it’s a reminder that sometimes life is about the journey, and sometimes it’s about efficiency.

Once I land back in the U.S., I’ll settle into the Caribbean for a few more weeks. I’ll reconnect with friends—I can’t wait to see them. After spending winter between the Caribbean and Mexico, it’s started to feel like home.

Then it’s on to a month in Alaska before heading back to Europe for the summer—this time, with a base in the UK.

Creatively, I feel inspired. Sure, lugging the camera around during transit isn’t always fun, but the street photography? It still lights me up. On the days I bring my trusty travel companion along, I remember why I fell in love with it in the first place. The camera has become like coffee to me—essential, ingrained in my DNA. I’ll share some of my favorites from the past six weeks in the gallery below. I hope you enjoy them. I’m proud of the work.

Back to those lyrics—maybe, just maybe, one day, someone will stick me like the bullseye on a dartboard. A shot in the dark. Unexpected, for sure, since I seem to be one of the most unavailable people on the planet.

There’ve been a few glimpses of a different kind of life than the one I’m living now. So I’ll stay hopeful. Maybe my world will one day burst like a confetti-filled balloon—pierced by a perfectly thrown dart. And in that moment, maybe all the love I’ve been carrying will finally spill back into the world.

Until then—or as some say, until I let someone love me—I’ll keep spinning.

It’s all I know how to do. And I think I’m pretty good at it.

I am Cole:

Lover of:

• Coffee, in all forms

• Dirty vodka martinis with blue cheese olives (no vermouth, please)

• Early mornings in a hot tub looking at the constellations

• Street photography

• Acoustic covers—send me your favorites

• Meeting people

• Travel: from five-star hotels to camping on a lake in Michigan

• Chasing Northern Lights and waterfalls