Forward Momentum

Writer Caitlin Meyer utilizes solo night walking across global cities as a vital tool for navigating internal darkness and inherited mental health struggles. This practice, which began during a childhood in Paris, evolved into a motion-based meditation that prevents her from succumbing to the deep depression that affected her mother. Meyer highlights the unique intimacy found in the quiet hours between 3:00 and 4:00 AM, where focusing on mundane details like shadows or shop windows restores her sense of perspective and belonging in the world. By documenting these journeys, she intentionally reclaims public space for women, challenging the cultural narrative that the night is a site of inevitable danger. Her experiences suggest that fear of the night is often a social construct, noting that her own most significant traumas occurred during the day. Ultimately, these nocturnal explorations transform a flight from personal upheaval into a proactive foundation for a nomadic, self-determined life.