United As One

United As One

“I guess we’ll just have to sing it ourselves.”

200 of us stood at the starting line of a local 5k fundraiser. Traditionally, before the air horn signals the start of the race a singer will perform an A Capella version of “The Star Spangled Banner”. But the singer, for whatever reason, was nowhere to be found.

So, with our eyes gazed upon the nearby flag pole, we just sang it ourselves.

It was organic, authentic, and beautiful.

There is something quite moving and unifying when a group of ordinary people stand together and share their collective voices for a common cause. Old voices, young voices, loud voices, soft voices. All voices, expressed individually yet together as one. 

In a seemingly divided world, maybe we’re not as divided as we’re told we are.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

 

The “No Manifesto” Manifesto

The “No Manifesto” Manifesto

The temptation was right in front of me.

The first day of the next year of my life. With pen in hand and a blank page staring back at me I was prepared to commit to paper an extensive list of all the things I was going to accomplish in the next 12 months. The goals, the experiences, the desired outcomes. The new daily routines I’d militantly follow to make everything on that page come to life.

I’ve set bold intentions for many of my years. While accomplishing a great many things on those lists, more often than not their attainment felt rather hollow. I expected my desired outcomes to be sources of peace and fulfillment, pressuring the outcomes to be far more than they were capable of becoming.

Instead of creating yet another grand manifesto for the year to come, I instead opted for something far less bold. On that blank page in front of me I thought about how I want to feel this new year. As I began to contemplate what that would look like the words began to come through me. Present. Engaged. Creative. Trusting. Abundant. Grateful. Patient. Purposeful. Accepting. Detached. Authentic.

Feelings that only come from within.

There are still many things I intend on accomplishing and experiencing this year. But these powerful words are the framework for what I will be willing to attain and experience. 

Eleven words.

One life.

My life.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

 

Creating Unexpected Moments Of Joy

Creating Unexpected Moments Of Joy

I was far too excited when I opened the package.

For reasons still unknown to me, I finally decided to buy a Santa suit. An 11-piece deluxe Santa suit, complete with the white gloves and a hand bell. My inner child broke into an uncontrollable laughter as I unpacked my illogical gift to myself.

Sometimes logic just gets in the way of fun.

What’s the first thing you do when you get your Santa suit? You put it on and walk through your neighborhood, wondering through backyards triggering Ring camera notifications prompting unsuspecting neighbors to run to their windows to try and figure out why Santa is standing on their lawns.

As I made my way back home, two young children locked eyes on me from inside their house, their little faces lit up like Christmas trees as Santa walked by their home on a random Tuesday afternoon in October.

Unexpected moments of joy. 

For every one.

Me included.

Joy comes in many forms. We have the power to create it. Our presence, our love, our Continue reading “Creating Unexpected Moments Of Joy” →

Looking Through The Lens Of The Present Moment

Looking Through The Lens Of The Present Moment

“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” – Dorothea Lange

I guess having over 73,000 photos stored on my phone would indicate I take a lot of pictures. It’s a diverse collection of images, but they all have one thing in common. I was there for all of them.

One of the unexpected life lessons photography has taught me is the importance of being fully present. To look through the view finder and notice every detail of what is in the frame. The colors, the light, the lines. The people, their placement, their expression. 

To notice everything.

I’ve often struggled with the idea of being fully present. My ungrounded self tended to find some other place to be or some other thing to focus on. But the moment before I take a photo demands my full attention. 

Noticing. Evaluating. Adjusting. 

Presence.

The practice of such intentional presence has taught me to also be more present in the non-photographic areas of my life. Where what’s in front of me is essentially an oversized view Continue reading “Looking Through The Lens Of The Present Moment” →

When Less Than What You Deserve Is What You Think You Deserve

When Less Than What You Deserve Is What You Think You Deserve

It was right there for the taking.

But taking is uncomfortable when for most of your life you’ve grown used to taking what’s been given to you instead.

The funny thing about hopes, dreams, and aspirations is that no matter what it is we want to experience and achieve, until we believe we are worthy to receive them we probably never will.

Growth has plenty of logic-based roadmaps on how to get from where you are to where you tell yourself you want to be. Just five easy steps to that pot of gold at the end of your rainbow. The logic is linear and simple. But it’s the emotional which will keep us from ever receiving the gold, even if it’s right in front of us.

Emotional, as in our deep core beliefs about who we are and what is actually possible for us.

No matter how badly we may want what we want, unless it’s aligned with what we are willing to allow ourselves to receive we won’t receive it.

We strive to grow and evolve yet our outer world is a perpetuation of what our inner world has allowed us to experience. That inner world impacts everything. Exciting new relationships become the next version of all the other less-than-ideal relationships we’ve disappointingly endured. Because on some level we’ve come to accept settling for less than we deserve is, well, what we deserve. So that’s what we repeatedly attract into our space. History ultimately repeats until we create a new, empowering inner narrative where we become worthy to receive what our heart and soul so deeply desire.

It works the same in all parts of life. Career growth stagnates because we’ve accepted where we are at is where we are supposed to be. Even working towards physical fitness goals. We Continue reading “When Less Than What You Deserve Is What You Think You Deserve” →

I Was The One I Was Looking For All Along

I Was The One I Was Looking For All Along

The two silver oversized balloons she carried out of the party store meant someone special was having a birthday. A big birthday as indicated by the helium-filled “5” and “0” she held tightly as she made her way across the parking lot.

I don’t remember the specific details of the exact day I turned the Big 5-0. But little did I know it would be the first day of my most significant decade of personal growth and transformation.

A milestone birthday can serve as a catalyst for change, but me turning 50 felt more like an extension of being 49. The odometer marking the miles of my life may have turned over, but I was still traveling the same road at the same pace, a road with many miles behind me and hopefully many more in front of me. Same road, same view, just another year older.

Hardly a catalyst.

The real catalyst was a growing sense of inner frustration. Nothing in particular, more of a general level of discontent and misalignment which peaked by the middle of the decade. 

I’d always carried a silent frustration within me. Life was something I’d often struggle to understand as well as my place in it. The outside world never saw that side, a side whose voice I was quite good at repressing. In time I learned such a powerful voice can never be fully silenced and as I approached birthday number 55 that voice had become more determined to be heard. It grew louder, more persistent, at times even hostile. It had something to tell me and it was going to get me to notice.

Life does have a way of getting your attention, doesn’t it? At first the hints are subtle, slight Continue reading “I Was The One I Was Looking For All Along” →

Granting Grace In Your Moments Of Darkness

Granting Grace In Your Moments Of Darkness

“Be aware of what season you are in and give yourself the grace to be there.” — Kristen Dalton

The annual traffic jam the departing Cape Cod tourists create on Labor Day weekend is a regionally accepted symbol of the unofficial end of summer. Life reverts to the life we so often work to escape, even if for just a little while.

Inevitably seasons change. And while nature offers a predictable schedule for her seasons, life’s seasons have a seemingly random time frame of their own.

As humans we’ve all experienced seasons of abundance, of loss, of growth, of stagnation, of community, of isolation, of clarity, of confusion. Some seasons I’ve wanted to last forever, others seasons have felt like they’d never end. 

I often struggled in those unwanted seasons of loss, stagnation, isolation, and confusion. I didn’t understand why I kept finding myself in such darkness, angry at God for putting me in such a hole, and cursing Him for keeping me there. 

Graceful I certainly wasn’t.

Maybe that’s why I spent so much time there?

The wisdom found in age changed my relationship with life’s seasons. I may still not know why I find myself dealing with the ones I’d rather not have to deal with, but having been Continue reading “Granting Grace In Your Moments Of Darkness” →

When Nothing Has To Be Anything Other Than It Is

When Nothing Has To Be Anything Other Than It Is

That’s the elusive sweet spot. 

No resistance, no forcing, no needing, no grasping. 

Accepting without resentment or expectation. 

Flowing without forcing. 

Trusting the process, the unfolding. 

Acceptance is not a passive undertaking by any means. It’s a conscious and intentional decision to see things as they are, even if you might not like what you see.

It isn’t easy getting to such a peaceful place. 

It’s quite difficult staying there when you do. 

But when you know where you really are, it’s much easier to get where you’re going.

Photo by Maxime Doré on Unsplash

 

Finding Your Own Road Less Traveled

Finding Your Own Road Less Traveled

If you didn’t know it was there you’d probably never know it was.

The paved road unexpectedly turned to gravel. The overgrown grass and trees hid the sign marking the entrance to a rather obscure area of the vast coastal nature preserve. I parked where I could looking for signs that didn’t exist. Google Maps gave me an idea where I was supposed to go, and with my backpack and hiking stick I headed west down the fire road which I believed would lead me to the beach I was looking for.

About a mile later the dirt road lined with scrub pine turned into sand and behind the grass-covered dunes was the beach I was looking for.

Perfectly empty. 

Just me and the ocean.

I can see why many wouldn’t want to go through such a process just to get to a beach. A few miles Continue reading “Finding Your Own Road Less Traveled” →