Going in Circles

processing moments & memories

Self Portrait of a Selfie, 2026 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

Hello Dear Readers -

It’s that kind of week…where it feels like we’re going in circles…and not getting anywhere. And yet.¹

On a cold morning walk with Lilly, I looked forward as I looked back…and it was the circle of the lens, the circle of the ‘shutter’ on the phone and the circle of arrows for a selfie that interested me the most.

Salted Circle, 2025 (could have been 2026) Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

Everywhere I look there are circles - - salted or made of lichen - -

Lichen, 2026 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

Tree Circle, Vermont & Lava Circle, Hawaii Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

a resin-covered tree portal or a weather-worn black hole in lava - -

These circles, like the earth herself, hold power.

Earth-Filled Tire & Drain in Wall Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

Bird Bath, New Hampshire, 2016 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

A bird bath contains water; Drains and vents that let water flow - - all circles in our midst.

Drain, Paris & Drain?, New York City Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

And then, there is the glorious circular top of our metal compost bucket.

Compost 2/20/26 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

I go in circles, coming back to compost, returning to my archive, seeing what I have seen before, but in a new way.

The compost bucket contains ‘garbage’ that will become soil; The embroidery hoop contains a mess of threads that will become something - - a leaf or flower perhaps.

A Mess Contained, 2026 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

I could go on forever, about the wonders of ‘circle time’ in kindergarten or the beauty of the ‘circle of life.’²

Translucence, 2025 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

For now, though, it’s the translucence of this round button that catches my eye - - One of many gifted to me by my aunts and mother-in-law, sorted and re-imagined into the trunk of a tree on a dress.

Buttons, 2023 & Circles...Buttons on a Dress, 2026 Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

And this, of course, makes me wonder about my younger self standing on that swing, mid-air: Am I barefoot or wearing shoes?

And this question leads me back to my photo archive where circles of shoes and bare feet preside.

Circle of Shoes, Lyn 2016 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

Family Feet, 2016; Circle of Shoes - Pam, 2019 Photographs by Lyn Swett Miller

Circle of Shoes, Mummy 2022 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

Toes point in; Toes point out.

Life-lines to a particular life…and all of our lives, polished and scuffed.³

Shell Circle, 2017 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

There is uniformity of kind, but diversity of lived experience - - in each foot, sole or shell.

Circle of Demitasse Cups, 2020 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

A circle of dainty cups, perhaps once held by a circle of women standing together in the kitchen on a stormy night after dinner, drinking tea instead of coffee, holding each other as they try to contain chaos or hold entropy at bay…and reminding themselves that, like the compost bucket, life is messy.⁴

Compost 2/22/26 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

I go in circles, and always return to compost. It’s just what I do. Like in that selfie at the start of this post, the compost reminds of what has been and invites curiosity of what is ahead - - for the soil it will produce…or around the bend at the end of the path.

While out with Lilly on these adventures in the snow, I hear more birds. It’s almost spring. The circle of seasons continues.

Let’s Go Home, It’s Cold! 2026 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

With gratitude for you being you,

Lyn

Compost 2/24/26 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

Lilly Looks, 2026 Photograph by Lyn Swett Miller

PS - - If any of this circle talk resonates, please share your thoughts. It’s always fun to hear from you!

1. A lot of people I know, including myself, have been overwhelmed by the news while also coping with the realities of this time of year, which can be, for some, filled with a bad cold or fatigue with too much snow, or just fatigue. And in these moments, it’s easy to get stuck, literally in a muddy rut, or in our heads, perseverating over a particular thought. When that happens, I go for a walk and then hang out with my photo archive and see what emerges. This post is another one of those moments, when ‘going in circles’ leads to something and takes me somewhere other than where I was.

2. The minute I started thinking about circles, the idioms started to flow: circle the wagons, come full circle, go in circles (this post), circle back, vicious circle, circling the drain…and then the idea of ‘square the circle’ (to attempt to do something impossible) or “Circle gets the Square” from the TV show Hollywood Squares - - when a contestant was successful they placed a circle on the square tic-tac-toe board of stars…It can also be when someone says something you agree with, like saying “bingo”!

I also have a memory of our 9th grade play in high school. We performed The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht - - Such a lighthearted exploration for a group of young teenagers, addressing questions of justice, class and morality and who deserves to raise a child abandoned during war. I was in charge of the lights and got to sit beneath the elevated circular stage that had been constructed for the show. It was quite impressive, really. But that, too, is another circle reference that inhabits my memory.

3. It’s really amazing going back through my archives and exploring themes over time - - I haven’t consciously said “I am going to make a series of images of objects in circles.” The objects invited the circles…and I documented those moments…and over time, a pattern resents itself.

Oh - - and if you’re paying attention to my Big Edit project, I did find a few redundancies along the way and was able to remove a few of those extra circles from my catalogue of images.

4. It’s almost women’s history month and I’m excited to explore the ways woman carry time in their bodies, clothes and objects. It was in a women’s writing circle in 2012 that I started finding words for my lived experiences…leading me here, to this moment. It feels like a different time, part of my personal history. More on all of this next week, but I loved imagining women together in a kitchen after a party during a storm.