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.

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อาทิตย์ 31 พ.ค. 2569・โตเกียว