I'm both happy and scared to be sharing the things I'm going to share here today because it's been a tough few years. I'm happy because I've been able to finally overcome some incredible challenges and scared because this is an entirely new chapter of my life and I have no idea what lies ahead.
The past 13 months I've been able to get back my life from an eating disorder and depression that has run my life in many ways since I was in high school. The past six years have been especially rough. Despite all the professional growth and success I was having, I kept gaining more and more weight and the behaviors that caused that to happen eventually spiraled into a nose dive. As my binge eating disorder and depression started hitting incredibly hard, my life became stagnant and it ultimately led to reaching a dangerously unhealthy weight of 370 pounds, 13 months ago. After years and years of trying all sorts of things to help myself with many different professionals over the past six years, I finally found something that I have been very successful with and I can proudly say that I weigh nearly 120 pounds less than I did 13 months ago.
I've seen so many stories about people gaining weight during the pandemic but for me this past year has been absolutely amazing for me. The positive changes to my habits in all parts of my life that I've been making are sticking and my mind and body are thanking me for it. The gigantic fog of apathy, detachment, and mindlessness that plagued my every day life, that I'm sure people began to see as a part of me, has now practically vanished. After I stopped posting on social media and distanced myself from many acquaintances and friends, I've been able to become more connected with those I stayed in touch with than ever before. I honestly don't think I've felt anywhere close to this since at least 2013 and possibly even longer than that. I know my family is incredibly happy and thankful to be able to agree with this Harry Potter quote that fits perfectly for me right now, "He's Back."
Since this is a blog for my photography, I have to post something with pictures. This past week I have undertaken a marathon of updating my portfolio and gone through over 9000 pictures I have sent of baseball alone to create not only a sports portfolio but also a baseball one (and re-make a website). After covering baseball so much the past few years, it has become my strongest sport, even though I wish that was soccer. So here's some of what you can find on my new website, www.jondurrphoto.com
