It only took one week before my 2026 went to shit.

After a long holiday break, I came back to work at the beginning of the year to find that due to changes in the pickleball market, my company was restructuring and moving almost all production to Illinois; I had the choice of moving there and continuing my role, or staying here and losing my job. Although I loved my work, and have started to feel that I'm ready to leave this area, the prospect of picking up and moving so soon after our recent series of moves was not appealing, and so I decided to remain in Mishawaka and find another job here. Thankfully, I was able to keep my job until the middle of February, and the separation pay I was given at that point has kept me financially safe up until now, so the last month and a half has not been as stressful as it could have been otherwise. Of course, I've been applying to many jobs and working out what my next step forward should be, so I haven't exactly been sitting around relaxing, but I have had the chance to take a moment to breathe and recover from burnout, which I really appreciate. Now that I have found a new job, which I start tomorrow, this seems like a good moment to reflect on the year so far.

*Grand Mere State Park, Stevensville, Michigan.*

Taking it back to my favorite of all literary references, the Bible, I am reminded of how the Israelites were commanded to rest, not just weekly on the Sabbath, but in a yearly cycle as well, in which the seventh year was a time to refrain from the normal work of agriculture, giving the land itself a chance to rest. We know today that the soil can become barren and dead if constantly used, and so even now the practice of letting fields lie fallow is a viable technique to keep the land healthy. But I like that the Biblical command implies a rest permeating all aspects of society, not just the agriculture that was the primary occupation of ancient Israel. Without farmers working the fields, craftsmen had less tools to make and repair, while other jobs like animal husbandry might have been less in demand as well. What this leads to is that a good portion of society would have been left with more free time on their hands, which could have been used for all kinds of things, including the study of the Torah or other writings. I don't know if this Sabbath-year was actually ever practiced, but if it was I imagine that it helped the Israelites take a break and refocus on what's important, just as I have been doing since my job ended. I, like most people, haven't had such a long period of time off from work since the pandemic, and I felt I should embrace this opportunity to recenter myself, especially as I was also burned out from photographing after last year's phone project, which became all-consuming as much of my work tends to over time. So, with the goal of resting and restoring my drive for photography and just life in general, I welcomed this period that I'm calling Fields Lying Fallow as a necessary and critical moment for my art and mental health.

I didn't necessarily have any huge, life-altering revelations during this month and a half with no work. Certainly I can't think of any at the moment. But I did do some things and have some thoughts that were positive, and that I wouldn't have accomplished without the free time, and I want to talk about some of these things here!

- at the beginning of March I hung out with my friend and mentor Marc Ullom, and it was great to catch up and talk photography with him over good lattes in Niles. In particular, we discussed his new project, a snail mail club called The Latent Image, in which he's working to foster a sense of community in the art world through monthly drops of prints, letters, and other surprises. His passion for this work is inspiring, and his first mailing matched this intention well, with a thoughtful letter giving weight and context to a strong photo of a pink bus in Iowa named Mr. Porkchop. I encourage you to sign up for the next drop here!

*Arthur Dodd Memorial Park, Near Sumnerville, Michigan.*

- as I have been doing since 2025, I continued to explore new albums and genres throughout this year. What resonated with me the most in this time off work were albums that are low-key and reflective, such as Tango in the Night by Fleetwood Mac, Life Goes On by Paul Williams (thank you Parker for the recommendation!), and This Is A Photograph by Kevin Morby. I also enjoyed some newly released albums: Harry Styles' latest project Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. (not for everyone, but meeting me exactly where I was), the apple tree under the sea by hemlocke springs, and, just today, THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. by RAYE. As always, I have taken a standout song from each album and put them into a playlist, which you can find here for Spotify and here for YouTube Music (I'm behind on getting all the songs in there, but I'm working on it).

- having so much free time has enabled me to knock out several books on my TBR list for the year—The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (a gift from Malia, and a rewarding deep dive into Tan's birding journey), a collection of poems by M.A.B. Wyman, I just want two more Michigan summers (especially the poem My Path), that put me in a state of Transcendence not unlike when I'm photographing, and finally Why People Photograph, a book of essays by the photographer Robert Adams (thank you Jesus for the gift!) that helped me unravel the work of Paul Strand and Eugène Atget, among others, in addition to photography in general. These books helped me understand the world better, and through that myself as well.

*Elkhart Environmental Center, Elkhart, Indiana.*

- for the Spring Equinox I attended a 108 Sun Salutations yoga class with Malia at the studio she goes to regularly, and in doing so came to the renewed confidence that there are good things waiting out there for me; I just need to seek out and reach for them and they'll be there. This is something I already knew through my interactions with the Ordered World, but it was especially impactful to be reminded of it at the beginning of Spring, with the rebirth and renewal that is promised in the changing of seasons.

- I did take some time to photograph, and in March I had three specific times where I went out with my film camera and shot a roll, each time primarily photographing in nature rather than in urban environments. These moments—walking through the forest at the edge of a river, staring into the depths of a totally still pond, basking in the sunlight on the top of a hill—all reminded me how important my connection to the natural world really is, as it has been the basis for many of my most moving experiences as a photographer. I cannot forget that these are the places where I most often encounter the Divine Ground and am changed by it, and so I will hold onto the photos I took during this time off as reminders of what is always waiting out there for me!

*Beverly D. Crone Restoration Area, South Bend, Indiana.*

- finally, there were many times that I simply sat at home with the outside door open, listening to the birds and the wind and all the other sounds of the world, as I read, played on my phone, and cuddled with the cats. What a blessing it is to do nothing, and yet be tied to everything around me, grounded in the feeling of stillness as life goes on. More than anything else I learned in this time without a job, I want to maintain this feeling, confident in my place in the world even when I'm not actively moving around in it. I can just be, and that is a gift all to itself.

I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. I might love this new job or I might hate it, or, more likely, I will find that it is a mixture of good and bad, as everything is in this life. I feel of course like I could have spent twice as long in this moment, resting and photographing and enjoying the world, but I know that I couldn't have remained here forever. The stress of not working was starting to get to me, and it is right that I have found a way to reenter the employed world once more. But I am going to carry the lessons of this period forward with me, and am thankful that I have had this time to let my fields lie fallow; I am ready for whatever will come next, and I know that where I am is where I am meant to be!

Fields Lying Fallow - 2026 So Far

© 2026 Jonathan Borton

Fields Lying Fallow - 2026 So Far

Reflecting on Time - Rolls 216-220

© 2026 Jonathan Borton