There are quiet moments when I feel that only the universe truly understands, in an almost innocent way, the many layers of emotions we carry all at once. And this photograph is one of them.

That day was unbearably cold. After months away from Brazil and the warmth I had always called home, I was reinventing myself in Austin, Texas. Walking became my refuge. I wandered without destination, getting lost through the streets, observing the present carefully and photographing everything that seemed to touch something inside me.

At that time, I felt heavy with emotions. There was happiness, but also melancholy. Thoughts about belonging had been following me for weeks, and all I could do was keep walking.

I have always loved birds. I grew up surrounded by them and, somehow, I have always seen myself in them too. In Austin, the parks are filled with ducks, and I loved spending time beside them on weekends.

That freezing afternoon, the streets were almost empty. I kept walking until I found countless ducks gathered near the lake, wrapped in the cold light of sunset.

For a moment, the cold no longer mattered. My hands hidden inside my coat sleeves, barely able to hold the camera, did not matter anymore either. My mind was taken over by the beauty of that scene, and the loneliness disappeared without warning. I stayed there for hours, simply watching those small creatures exist beside me.

Even while feeling lost, far away from everything and everyone, questioning where I truly belonged, I still found love. And that meant so much to me. Because for a few hours, I was able to look at the world with tenderness again.

I think that day I understood that belonging does not always mean permanence. Sometimes, it lives in moments so brief that eternity could never fit inside them.

Maybe belonging is exactly that. Finding, even if only for a moment, something that makes the soul feel at home.

Rebecca Doracio

There are quiet moments when I feel that only the universe truly understands, in an almost innocent way, the many layers of emotions we carry all at once. And this photograph is one of them. That day was unbearably cold. After months away from Brazil and the warmth I had always called home, I was reinventing myself in Austin, Texas. Walking became my refuge. I wandered without destination, getting lost through the streets, observing the present carefully and photographing everything that seemed to touch something inside me. At that time, I felt heavy with emotions. There was happiness, but also melancholy. Thoughts about belonging had been following me for weeks, and all I could do was keep walking. I have always loved birds. I grew up surrounded by them and, somehow, I have always seen myself in them too. In Austin, the parks are filled with ducks, and I loved spending time beside them on weekends. That freezing afternoon, the streets were almost empty. I kept walking until I found countless ducks gathered near the lake, wrapped in the cold light of sunset. For a moment, the cold no longer mattered. My hands hidden inside my coat sleeves, barely able to hold the camera, did not matter anymore either. My mind was taken over by the beauty of that scene, and the loneliness disappeared without warning. I stayed there for hours, simply watching those small creatures exist beside me. Even while feeling lost, far away from everything and everyone, questioning where I truly belonged, I still found love. And that meant so much to me. Because for a few hours, I was able to look at the world with tenderness again. I think that day I understood that belonging does not always mean permanence. Sometimes, it lives in moments so brief that eternity could never fit inside them. Maybe belonging is exactly that. Finding, even if only for a moment, something that makes the soul feel at home.

Sun, May 31, 2026・Tokyo

May 24, 2026

Montpellier bridge view of a cloudy sky with streetlights

A suited man standing by a liquor vending machine in a sunset street

A dark indoor scene with a camera lens and film texture lit by a beam of light

White-throated kingfisher perched on a rope

Assorted children’s toy miniatures scattered on a yellow background

Girl sitting beside colorful balloons in front of shop signage

A masked person holding a small black dog

alley shadows beside a red sign and steps

woman in a burqa looking toward the camera during evening prayer at Nizamuddin Dargah

View of people gathered on a building rooftop in Barcelona

portrait of a woman in an off-shoulder top against a dark background

train passing while a woman rides a bicycle across Oberbaum Bridge in Berlin at sunset

orange-and-blue sunset reflections on the sea

ice cream cones and odd goods at Columbia Road Flower Market in London

cluster of white mugs hanging from the ceiling

winter shoreline at Bondi Beach, Sydney with a man entering the sea

People standing on a mountaintop with a multi-tier pagoda tower, misty mountains and sky

Arashiyama bamboo forest in Kyoto with bamboo stalks reaching the sky

A person walking through a narrow alley between stone walls and a building facade

child playing on a sandy beach with calm sea

parkour runner silhouette moving between buildings

Rebecca Doracio

Sun, May 31, 2026・Tokyo

May 24, 2026

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