UNDERSTANDING

“These times are so uncertain, a yearning undefined and people filled with rage. We all need a little tenderness; how can love survive in such a graceless age?” ~Don Henley

Today I write from the place of forgiveness, simply the greatest place in The Universe. Life’s relationships, situations, events, and moments will help to shape us into the people we will become. It is a perpetual journey of discovery and learning. Often enough, our own uncertainty about the thoughts and feelings within our minds and hearts will have us either running away or diving into life in order to live it fully. We will make mistakes and we will make judgments to look back on and learn from. The super part of looking back is it gives us the opportunity to grow so long as we make an effort, in this moment, to be better than yesterday.

I have had a hard time writing this blog for several months as I’ve been working through a huge discovery within myself. I felt as though I was being “judged” and once again, in my life full of lessons, I had to take a good hard look, not so much of choices I made, but of feelings that I never allowed myself to feel. What I did discover is that I’M ALIVE and each and every challenge life has thrown at me has given me the ability to forgive and at least attempt to understand others, myself, and my desires. I traveled and have a rejuvenated fondness of nature. I’m now in position to make some really big choices about what I want to do, where I want to be and the type of person I want to be with. Decisions that I will trust to be the right ones, which will take me exactly to the place I’m supposed to be. The more open I become to life’s possibilities, the more other people have been opening up to me. Some people have confessed to me very personal struggles they are going through; when we are able to come out the other side of our own challenges we become available to understand others and be a source of comfort and encouragement. To be able to empathize and guide others brings us closer to our purpose, which is forgiveness and understanding.  

Today, I am aware of my fears and I embrace them momentarily so that I can let them go. My mind along with my heart is open enough to start over and more importantly forgive myself and everyone else. Today, I can walk through the fire with confidence that my life will be full and I have had the opportunity to make the lives of others just a little bit better. I’m going to laugh, do things I’ve never done, embrace the world, and love with all the madness in my soul. I hope beyond hope that everyone finds their way and when they do; that they will be challenged again so life doesn’t get too easy. I want everyone to find the beauty in sharing their independence with another. I want people to create the world they imagine around them and within them. It won’t always be easy, this I understand.    

Perfection of a Moment

“Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing”~ Oscar Wilde

I’ve had my share of both pain and bliss, the common connection is each feeling happened in a specific moment that has shaped my life thus far. We go through life a moment at a time and it is always specific experiences that bring us closer to our truest self. Life is precious and beautiful and never ever perfect. In a split second, everything can and will change as we navigate our way through. A perfect moment will cause a redirect in us whether it is joyful or painful.

Online, you can find a vast number of resources delving into the stuff that makes people tick. Articles, websites, pages, and any variety of columns throw all different advice out there about handling life’s “situations”. The only real thing we can do about life is to live it; to move through moments the best way we know how that instant. I for one, find most knowledge I truly need in the little messages on the strings draped over the side of my cups of tea. Things like “Love, compassion, and kindness are the anchors of life” or “Live with reverence of yourself and others”. This morning, I awoke to an amazing sunrise over the vast ocean that connects all of us in one way or another. I stopped my thoughts in their place when they drifted toward who or what was missing in my life; a step back to realize I was in the perfect moment right then and there.

We create our lives in each step we walk and breath we take, our brains functioning at light speed moving us through what amounts to be a very short amount of time. Each and every day anyone has an opportunity, no matter where their thoughts are, to reestablish the moment by taking it in and realizing that it is perfect. I dream often of my future. Who will I share my life with? What I will be doing? Where will I be living and traveling etc. I also find myself questioning the things I have done to get me to the place I am right now; challenges, mistakes, triumphs and losses. Many times all these thoughts go scrambling around my mind all at once and it becomes tiresome when I let it. In essence, I have a scrambled mind and the beauty of that is I’m alive! At any moment I can accept where I am and move forward the best I can. Contrary to certain mechanisms in my brain, the best I can is ALWAYS good enough. This is the same for everyone as we all have our lives to live, challenges to face, and love to share.

Another great Tea quote is “The purpose of life is to enjoy every moment”. Laugh at yourself when you feel you’ve blundered; know that the next moment is just right! Forgive quickly, love fully, be kind, dream big, make your mistakes and when your thoughts are in overdrive, know that you’re in the perfect moment. 

APPRECIATE AND HONOR YOUR SOUL

My soul has become brave from what my eyes have seen,

Splintered, bruised, bent; never defeated.

My soul has earned its grace because it realized love,

Pure, infinite, sacred; it has no boundaries.

My soul has tasted delight on the tongue of an angel,

Savory, blissful, elegant; love revered.

My soul has learned lessons because I choose to be alive,

Engaging, powerful, creative; make each day count.

My soul is ready to change the world along with another,

Shall we dance? Hearts infinitely intertwined.

My soul has accepted this moment,

The day no different than a lifetime; now it is ours.

My soul has neither fear nor vengeance,

Love is the victory for all.

My soul yearns to be inside again and feel our pulse together,

Our bodies become one, explosive passion into each other.

My soul will honor and appreciate yours forever.

The Treasure Inside

Apart we are marvels of creation, together and undeniable force~

That long awaited embrace ensured us, the world anticipates our power.

Hearts electrified under a full moon, feel alive as the golden sun rises~

You've awakened me; reach now for my open heart.

Start fresh~ crisp breeze lifting us like the tide.

Never grooved this way before, eyes fixed, peace achieved, proclaim our desires.

Only you and I truly get us~ sway, move, vibrate~ stealing the perfect dance.

~Kyle Hughes

This morning as I hear birds singing and the sun has risen once again, my thoughts have slowed down just enough to realize the incredible gifts I have been given. I believe that each of us have crosses to bear in our lives, some seemingly more insurmountable than others. Wounds turned into wisdom and compassion allow us serve the world in countless ways. I’m trying to wrap my head around the fact that in a few days I will be a full decade removed from my last drink or any other mind altering substance. There have been some really high highs and low lows over that span of time and above all, discovery of who I am and who I want to be. My senses are alive and gratitude at an all-time high; I suppose I have beaten some pretty big odds. The beauty is in the journey and accepting things that I can’t change, finding courage to change the things I can, and seeking the wisdom to know the difference.  

I have a fierceness and passion inside of me that yearns to create, to help others, to laugh, and to change the world. For me, that is the treasure inside me and I want to share it with someone just as passionate and willing to take on the world. The ultimate goal each day is in some way make somebody’s life a little bit better. There is always an opportunity to do this and we should make it a point to try. In subtle ways as well as bigger ways, shed your light on someone today! A familiar smile, a reaching hand, a song, or kind word can change a day and a life at any moment. What was once insecurity for me is now a truth I’m confident in; there is a “need” to be loved and understood in everyone’s life in order to achieve their greatest freedom. Each of us has a treasure inside, dig in, find yours and find another’s. Proclaim your desires and create the life you imagine. Apart we are marvels of creation, together an undeniable force.

Surviving Versus Thriving

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; to do so with passion, compassion, humor, and style”~ Maya Angelou

Challenges are part of life for everyone. I am no stranger to them and today I could look at my life and know that I am a survivor; that I've beat some odds and accomplished more than even I thought would be possible. In the grand scheme of things I wasn't always getting by in healthy or even normal ways; suffice to say I tend to learn the hard way. Perhaps everyone learns that way, but my experience is different, I know and appreciate people who simply seem to have everything working in their lives. Folks who seemingly have the world fall into their laps, awesome for them! From a young age I always felt a little different, as if I had something to prove to the world and often I did; finding success in the areas of life where passion, fierceness, persistence, and a bit of rebellion would prove to be valuable. That being said, I have also been a person of extremes, both rewarding and destructive. Recently, my oldest friend looked me dead in the eyes and told me how much he “admired” me because I pushed him when we were younger; to be better, to never give up, and have confidence in himself. Soon after, he gave me a firm reminder of battles I’ve won and people I’ve helped along the course of my life. He told me in a forceful way that frankly, only very few people could or would “get away with” speaking to me. I needed the reminder and I won’t soon forget the conversation. Ironically, I never saw these qualities in myself, there was always a deep feeling that I had to fight for everything and I didn't necessarily deserve “the good life”. Cool part is, I already live the good life and it will only get better! I have been forced to look at and reevaluate these feelings about myself and I've made a decision to cease fighting everything, mostly myself. By no means have I given up, in fact it’s quite the opposite; I’m prepared to thrive and not simply survive. I’m prepared to love fully and engage in living the life I imagine. Survival mode has put me in a position to do great things, not only for myself, but for others in the world; my intentions are to flourish in my personal journey and make at least part of the world a little better each and every day. I will allow myself to love and be loved.  

Certain connections are needed in life in order to truly feel free, to skip down the street or be brave enough to step out of your comfort zone; most importantly to lay down your defenses and create the life you imagine. Independence is a great trait to have, when you can be yourself and do the things you want to do surprising some folks along the way. What I’ve learned (once again the hard way), is that individualism becomes magical when it is respected, embraced, admired, and shared. People who are connected by love, of themselves and another radiate an authentic vibe that is unexplainable and enchanting. Everyone needs somebody to lift them at times, to encourage dreams, and share a vision. It turns surviving into thriving and the force of it can’t be measured in words. The key is to know what you deserve and what you want; everyone deserves it and once you want it, seize the magic and let your beautiful life unfold. Love is like oxygen; you can survive for a while without it and thrive so long as you breathe it in and allow it to fill you up.      

The Visionary and The Sorcerer

“I can do things you cannot. You can do things I cannot. Together, WE can do great things”~ Mother Teresa

It is often times difficult to describe feelings or for that matter, understand them yourself when you are a self-reliant individual who has won a few “battles” along the way of life. I’m often writing about the lessons I've learned over the years; about change and growth and purpose. For my entire life I have been an independent guy, never one to be with any certain crowd with any kind of defined way of thinking. A rebel perhaps in some ways, mostly though it has been that I have my own ideas on what should be done and how to do things. I’m extreme and passionate and I will never apologize for that, it makes me who I am. It has been both a blessing and a curse; the blessings because when you feel things you know you’re alive and the curse in the times I should have allowed another inside. My own life misconception was that I had to do it all on my own. Having a deep fear of not being able to accomplish what I set out to do by myself. Today, that fear is gone and I know as well as I know my name; I CAN’T DO IT ALONE, nor do I want to. I believe in my purpose to make the world a better place in some way, whether through my job, my art, my ability to bring people together, or whatever my strengths and opportunities may be. For the very first time, I know that I am better as part of a connection. There is a yin to everyone’s yang. The most successful people I know, both men and women, have that connection, that sharing of a purpose and it took me a long time to see it. As individuals each have a dynamic that allows the other to shine; together they are powerful beyond the stars. This has been the greatest lesson of life for me and there have been some doozies. That being said, it has also taught me about true and unconditional love, which is truly what everything is all about. It's very humbling to discover something so beautiful when you never realized it was all that was missing. The gratitude and pureness I have for this realization cannot be measured.

As I sit here, with a lot of great opportunities in front of me, the realization is that I need help to complete the mission; a person who balances me out as I balance them out. Always afraid of saying “I need anyone or anything”, this day I can say that I do need a partner and I am not needy in any way, but secure in that belief. A friend recently told me that I’m “like a magician” because I seem to get things done. I suppose it’s true in a way and it all stems from a source that has given me certain gifts; wonderful gifts that each of us have and hopefully make good use of. As each day passes, we can accomplish, learn, and dream of a whole lot; even more when we have a common purpose. There is a ton on my plate right now and it’s all purposeful and good; I can use some direction and help and that’s okay. Every Sorcerer needs a Visionary.