As a man of 24 I have lived a life none would have expected, or so I think. Being where I stand to tonight I am what many are not, happy and proud of who I am. From my creator I have been given many of advantages and been guided down many paths that have lead me here, a place where I live knowing that I belong and am right for. I have had the love and support of many. I have been taught and been provided with the abilities to become who am, but more importantly see hope and a bright future. Best of all I do not know what that future is.

There is something beautiful about hope. With hope inside you are destined to make yourself and the world around you better. Without a positive outlook for the future, you look only for immediate gratification, suck life from that and those which are around you, but most importantly you give up. “Live to learn, so that you may learn to live”

Traveling is curiosity. Wonderment of our surroundings, skepticism of what is told to us to be fact builds creation, expands ideas, and develops minds into their potential. With inspiration from this world our minds find their peak and feel useful.

Hope was lacking when a child walked into an Omaha shopping mall and killed those innocent people and himself. Wonder is lacking when people fail to understand each other, only recognizing the differences, failing to see their fellow man as even human as is the case with genocides such as the holocost, genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, and elsewhere. Purpose is what lacks when we submit ourselves to doing that which is easy, comfortable, and socially accepted, when we push our dreams, but more importantly our happiness to the side for life’s cookie cutter decisions.

If I had parents that pushed me to build a family, a career that would bring me riches, and all the other parts of the American Dream, I would not be where I am. My path is unorthodox and by no means what I would have expected even 2 years ago. But I am proud of every step. Even when things weren’t perfect they were never bad and for that I am very gracious. But as I realized the other evening, my life is better than those who care for me could have ever hoped for. How I got here I don’t know. What I’ve done to deserve it, I have no idea. And how I will continue this feeling is something I’ll just have to work out.

I can point to many things in my immediate past that have lead me to my state of Zen as of late. One is my recent trip to Asia. There I reminded myself what I am capable of doing, how important it is to meet new people, what one can learn from others, and how much life I have to inspire people with. That confidence is powerful and has brought me to new heights. I wake up each day to live the life I have, meet and get to know those around me so that we can grow faster together than separated. “All the pain this world possesses comes from wishing happiness for ourselves, All the joy this world contains comes from wishing happiness for others”. Ever since I read that on the wall of a Buddhist monastery I’ve been moved to find my life I did not know existed. I took a step that day, I found a clue to unlocking the mystery known as life, my life, what it must possess to make me happy, and for that I’m grateful.

Big week for me and I’m not sure what it all means. My grandfather died and my aunt’s cancer is looking like its getting better. I’m so scared for her, my uncle, my mom, my extended family, and everyone who knows how special of a person she is. The news that she is getting better made my heart leap. The death of my grandfather didn’t make me blink. I didn’t know him and that was his loss not mine. posted by redpage01 at 10:58 PM | 0 comments