I’ve got a few moments as I sit here swatting away bugs, out in the middle of nowhere, to think and reflect. I am chasing Northern Lights tonight, and lady Aurora is fickle, I may have time to get quite a bit out here and maybe even get into your head a little. I want to continue to embrace the change and the goals I’ve set for myself. So I’ll share. My goals may not be the goals you’d think, or maybe some are. My goals aren’t about wealth, fame and fortune or monetary things. As Americans it’s easy to make those things as primary life goals. Go go go hustle hustle hustle more more more.
Since my photography takes me all over the northwest I have covered some 180 thousand miles just the past 36 months. With all the miles, crazy fun miles, audio books, music, and incredible, mind blowing scenery, I can not remain unchanged. It’s impossible. Why resist. Change is inevitable. Change is the only constant in life. Your change may not be my change and so forth, but I think we can all relate to each other. No matter what journey you are on we are all together as humans. We are all part of humanity, hurtling through space and time together on this little rock called Earth. Flying around a star that is just one of billions in our galaxy. We should come together. More than that we should embrace Love.
Everything that has happened before has set me up to be right here right now. The same is true for you. The Good the bad, the everything. All of it equals the sum of who I am and where I am. Where I am right now, literally a good seven hour drive from home waiting for some light and color in the sky. Let’s start with that. Driving. Seven hours each way is a long drive.
When I was younger I traveled a lot. Mostly the same route to see either my mother or my father. They’re marriage ended when I was 7 years old. Traveling back and fourth every other weekend, via car, via greyhound bus or Amtrak train, unknowingly prepared me for and gifted me for many things. One of these gifts is my ability to drive long distances and ENJOY it. Seven hours on a whim to chase the Aurora . Cake walk, Let’s make it happen. Car acting up ? Let’s pray about it and go for it anyhow. Determination built right in. Something that was challenging in my early years just grew me into what I am. A good long trip driver. Ready and willing ! Exactly what’s needed to get to great locations and dark skies.
There are a number of stories I can tell. Stories about tough times or tough situations. They all later gifted me with these abilities. These extra ordinary things. All that travel back and forth as a youngster also gave me the gift of Gab. On those train and bus rides We were by ourselves, my sister and I. We had to learn to talk to people. All kinds of people. I even learned to “change gears” and talk to anyone and meet them at their level. All of this by age ten. Later I spent the majority of my adult life using this gift of gab as a commissioned a salesperson.
On the road I’ve learned a lot about myself, my limits, my expectations and my short comings. When you spend as much time traveling, staying awake for crazy hours and doing a lot of it alone, you learn a lot. There’s a lot of time to reflect on myself, relationships and the whole universe. I now know new limits, how long I can stay awake and realistically function. How long I can stand in the freezing cold, or how much food I can or shouldn’t eat while doing all of the above. I’ve learned about how much social interaction I want or don’t want. More than anything I’ve learned about determination and faith. Belief in your abilities, belief in your path, and faith that if you do your part, things can become life changing.
About seven years ago I had a moment. A moment of clarity. A Life’s mission revealed. For me my life’s mission is to “Build Relationships and Love People”. I’ve even got an acronym and a hashtag for it BRLP #BRLP - it’s been around in my life long enough that if you are a close friend, you know exactly what I’m talking about. I’ve likely shared it with you. You can Make decisions with this filter in mind - Will this help me build relationships and love people ? If so then maybe it’s a go! People add to your life. The sum of all the people in your life can directly correlate to the happiness and joy you have.
Loving on those that come into your world isn’t just necessary it is natural, rewarding, and lasts a life time. So go BRLP - Learn to say yes. Say yes to some calculated risks, say yes to that coffee date . Say yes to your mom and dad. Say yes to your significant other. We need more Yes. Just like the hilarious Jim Carrey movie “Yes Man” . There IS some truth in that movie. We all see a bit of it in ourselves. So Love people and say yes when you can. This is a good place to start.
Thank you for reading and be blessed......