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Tracy Guenard
It was a warm and sunny Monday morning in August. Our weekend getaway had left us with a happy feeling. I was getting ready for my day at work. My partner, John Rathwell, was making coffee. The phone rang and neither of us could anticipate how much that call would change our lives.
John’s father had taken his own life.
The weeks that followed were an uncomfortable mix of paralyzing emotions. Getting out on our bikes helped a lot with the daily struggles as John was trying to make sense of the events. He knew right away that he wanted to do something about it, but he could not make up his mind on the exact form it would take.
“As a photographer, I knew I wanted to use my art to shine a light on mental health and suicide prevention,” he says. “I just wasn’t sure how.”
As the weeks passed, we tried to get over the trauma. But life had other plans for us. Four months after the death of John’s father, my aunt committed suicide.
Grieving this type of death makes you reconsider a lot of things about life, yourself, love, even your own purpose. It made us think and talk about what we really wanted from life and what to do with it. It also made us recognize what happiness meant to us.
Through these hard times, we came to the realization that our most joyful moments were spent practising our favourite activities in nature. Biking, hiking, skiing, surfing and kayaking, with the forests, mountains, lakes and rivers as our outlet and our canvas. These things were filling our hearts with love and contentment. Even the memories of loved ones pointed in that direction.
Tracy Guenard enjoys the snow at Big White Ski Resort in Kelowna, B.C.
John’s father was an incredibly hard worker. “I remember him working 12-, 14-hour days, seven days a week at GM when I was a child,” he recalls. “Although he did have a few hobbies, he may not have always lived with the best work/life balance.
“Some of my most memorable moments with Dad were times spent outside. He got very interested in off-roading and started building Jeeps to take on the trail. Those times on the trails together, just him and I in the forest, are some of the most memorable for me. It was on the trails that I saw my father the happiest in his life.”
Through research, we found out about the therapeutic nature of something called green exercise, or physical exercise practised in natural environments. This discovery was a turning point for us. We finally understood how to cope with our pain.
The Searching for Sero project was born.
Our goal was to spread the word about the amazing healing power of green exercise. Our vision was to inspire and share the stories of people like us who were using outdoor adventure as a means to bring happiness and balance to their lives. We’ve spent the past year building on this vision.
We named the project Searching for Sero, short for serotonin, the neurotransmitter believed to contribute to the feelings of happiness. Last spring, we purchased the perfect vehicle to help us in our endeavour, a 1991 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia. Our current plan is to leave Ottawa in the spring for a two-year trip across North America searching for people coping with mental illness through the same outdoor activities we love. The stories of these people will be shared online with what we call Sero Stories. These short reads will be accompanied by stunning photos of the subject in his or her element.
John Rathwell, Tracy Guenard and Rain hang out in their newly purchased camper van.
But before we could start, a full year of planning was needed.
Through the summer, we covered the stories of eight inspiring individuals that have found happiness, balance and solace in nature, and shared them with the world. There was Theo VanZyl, who discovered as a university student that the only days he was happy were when he was going to teach at the local ski hill. We discovered Josh Brose, who uses his passion for BMX to grieve the brother he lost in a car accident. Each story is a tale of how a passion for the outdoors brought an individual brighter days.
Most of our own free time is now spent getting the van ready for the upcoming journey. Through extensive mechanical repairs and upgrades, we are hoping to make her as reliable and comfortable as a 25-year-old, 80-square-foot vehicle can be. After all, it will be home for the two of us and our dog for the next two years.
In three months, we will officially have put our careers aside for Searching for Sero. By publishing a weekly Sero Story, we hope to inspire as many people as possible to get out and play. We hope to convince our readers of the positive impact green exercise has on our lives on a daily basis, and make them want to invest in their own mental wellness. It is also our hope that this project will contribute to making mental health conversations easier.
When the two-year project concludes, we will return to Ottawa to prepare a photobook with the best of our Sero Stories. The proceeds of the book sales will be donated to charities working in suicide prevention.
Follow our adventures and be inspired!
www.searchingforsero.com . And on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat!
Cregg Jalbert finishes an evening paddle on the Ottawa River in Beachburg.
Dave Crichton prepares to go river surfing on the Ottawa River during the photo shoot for his Sero Story.
Gen Gagnon poses for a portrait during her Sero Story photo shoot.
Courtney Sinclair paddles under the covered bridge in Fort Colounge, Que.
Most of Tracy Guenard and John Rathwell’s free time has been spent on getting the VW van ready for the long road ahead.
Gen Gagnon rides at Camp Fortune during the photo shoot for her Sero Story.
查看原文...
It was a warm and sunny Monday morning in August. Our weekend getaway had left us with a happy feeling. I was getting ready for my day at work. My partner, John Rathwell, was making coffee. The phone rang and neither of us could anticipate how much that call would change our lives.
John’s father had taken his own life.
The weeks that followed were an uncomfortable mix of paralyzing emotions. Getting out on our bikes helped a lot with the daily struggles as John was trying to make sense of the events. He knew right away that he wanted to do something about it, but he could not make up his mind on the exact form it would take.
“As a photographer, I knew I wanted to use my art to shine a light on mental health and suicide prevention,” he says. “I just wasn’t sure how.”
As the weeks passed, we tried to get over the trauma. But life had other plans for us. Four months after the death of John’s father, my aunt committed suicide.
Grieving this type of death makes you reconsider a lot of things about life, yourself, love, even your own purpose. It made us think and talk about what we really wanted from life and what to do with it. It also made us recognize what happiness meant to us.
Through these hard times, we came to the realization that our most joyful moments were spent practising our favourite activities in nature. Biking, hiking, skiing, surfing and kayaking, with the forests, mountains, lakes and rivers as our outlet and our canvas. These things were filling our hearts with love and contentment. Even the memories of loved ones pointed in that direction.
Tracy Guenard enjoys the snow at Big White Ski Resort in Kelowna, B.C.
John’s father was an incredibly hard worker. “I remember him working 12-, 14-hour days, seven days a week at GM when I was a child,” he recalls. “Although he did have a few hobbies, he may not have always lived with the best work/life balance.
“Some of my most memorable moments with Dad were times spent outside. He got very interested in off-roading and started building Jeeps to take on the trail. Those times on the trails together, just him and I in the forest, are some of the most memorable for me. It was on the trails that I saw my father the happiest in his life.”
Through research, we found out about the therapeutic nature of something called green exercise, or physical exercise practised in natural environments. This discovery was a turning point for us. We finally understood how to cope with our pain.
The Searching for Sero project was born.
Our goal was to spread the word about the amazing healing power of green exercise. Our vision was to inspire and share the stories of people like us who were using outdoor adventure as a means to bring happiness and balance to their lives. We’ve spent the past year building on this vision.
We named the project Searching for Sero, short for serotonin, the neurotransmitter believed to contribute to the feelings of happiness. Last spring, we purchased the perfect vehicle to help us in our endeavour, a 1991 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia. Our current plan is to leave Ottawa in the spring for a two-year trip across North America searching for people coping with mental illness through the same outdoor activities we love. The stories of these people will be shared online with what we call Sero Stories. These short reads will be accompanied by stunning photos of the subject in his or her element.
John Rathwell, Tracy Guenard and Rain hang out in their newly purchased camper van.
But before we could start, a full year of planning was needed.
Through the summer, we covered the stories of eight inspiring individuals that have found happiness, balance and solace in nature, and shared them with the world. There was Theo VanZyl, who discovered as a university student that the only days he was happy were when he was going to teach at the local ski hill. We discovered Josh Brose, who uses his passion for BMX to grieve the brother he lost in a car accident. Each story is a tale of how a passion for the outdoors brought an individual brighter days.
Most of our own free time is now spent getting the van ready for the upcoming journey. Through extensive mechanical repairs and upgrades, we are hoping to make her as reliable and comfortable as a 25-year-old, 80-square-foot vehicle can be. After all, it will be home for the two of us and our dog for the next two years.
In three months, we will officially have put our careers aside for Searching for Sero. By publishing a weekly Sero Story, we hope to inspire as many people as possible to get out and play. We hope to convince our readers of the positive impact green exercise has on our lives on a daily basis, and make them want to invest in their own mental wellness. It is also our hope that this project will contribute to making mental health conversations easier.
When the two-year project concludes, we will return to Ottawa to prepare a photobook with the best of our Sero Stories. The proceeds of the book sales will be donated to charities working in suicide prevention.
Follow our adventures and be inspired!
www.searchingforsero.com . And on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat!
Cregg Jalbert finishes an evening paddle on the Ottawa River in Beachburg.
Dave Crichton prepares to go river surfing on the Ottawa River during the photo shoot for his Sero Story.
Gen Gagnon poses for a portrait during her Sero Story photo shoot.
Courtney Sinclair paddles under the covered bridge in Fort Colounge, Que.
Most of Tracy Guenard and John Rathwell’s free time has been spent on getting the VW van ready for the long road ahead.
Gen Gagnon rides at Camp Fortune during the photo shoot for her Sero Story.
查看原文...
