I read a good book years ago that included the phrase ‘Everybody, everything, and all the events in your life are there because you have put them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you’.

Faith aside, this phrase and the book’s overarching message got me thinking… a lot. Those around us, what we do, who we interact with, outcomes of our actions, everything, is an action result of cause and effect. Whether it be ‘self’ free will, or bestowed free will, we have choices in our lives that will work to shape an outcome.

Let me bring this to the here and now. What choices am I going to make today to help shape a desirable outcome? Now, focus that same question to yourself. The desirable outcome doesn’t always need to be for ourselves, and it shouldn’t be anyway. We have the opportunity to help and serve others, each and every day. That alone is exciting.

Everybody, everything, and all the events in your life are there because you have put them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you.

We live in an incredible time. Opportunity is everywhere and we have access to almost everything we desire. Computational technology is growing at an exponential rate, doubling approximately every 18 months. Astounding yes, this level of advancement, yet it is difficult to wrap your head around it. But I wonder what we will do with it all? I wonder where it will take us.

The future is exciting and frightening at the same time. I’m sure every generation has pondered the same sentiment, but not every generation has had access into potentiality of the human psyche as we are entering now. Where Will We Go?, a new essay found in the Musings tab, brings to light some challenges and ethical issues that our future selves will face.

I have always embraced technology, but I pause now and find myself thinking twice about where we will go with it.

My latest essay is located in the I Remember tab, titled Next Time, Drew. It is an essay with an important personal message, one that we can all learn from.

Most of the country right now is experiencing quite a wintry blast. In Southern California it rained a lot and the temperatures have dropped. During this time there were many beautiful skies to view. Navigate to the Sky page to see the before and after. Today, don’t forget to look up.

Love or Loathe. Either word is an extreme descriptor for my latest essay found in the Musings tab titled, Where Will We Go? But it does indicate an opposing dichotomy of opinion that raises many questions, many of which cross the line into the realm of ethics. I am a self-proclaimed techno-geek. Not in the sense of techno music, but in technology in general. I love what binary code has brought us, and it is mind-boggling to see where quantum computing will take us next. Love it or loathe it, virtual reality is here and is coming at us in full force. Read my latest essay on the implications that are potentially good and not-at-all-good.

While I don’t particularly like being out-and-about in the rain, I definitely enjoy what nature provides as a result. We need the rain, our foliage needs the rain. Like snow, it seems as if rain settles people to some degree. It makes us slow down. The sound of rainfall is relaxing, and sets the stage for much self-reflection. Typically after rainfall we are provided with yet another gift. This gift is visual. Take a look at the newest Sky post and you will agree.

There is new entry added in the Art Center drop-down titled Just Put a Band-Aid on It. It will probably make you cringe, but a fond memory to me nonetheless 🙂

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to fly. I was fascinated with the concept of flight and badly wanted to be a part of it all. I would imagine myself flying and feeling the sensation of wind on my face and body. Yes, I was one of those kids who would stick my head out the car window as we drove. Don’t judge, this was long before any seatbelt laws and personal safety was quite loose back then 🙂 There was a corner area at my next door neighbors house where two walls met that created an updraft with any notable air movement. It didn’t have to be windy for the magic to work. I would take an inflated balloon to that area and bounce it off my hands to see if it would lift on it’s own. Often it did and I wanted to lift off along with it. I began dreaming about flying when I was a child, and have flown in my dreams often to this day. The feeling is oh-so invigorating!

Under the Dreams tab, I posted an essay on flying. The essay does not recount any particular dream, but it does outline how my dream flights have evolved throughout my lifetime.

It must be difficult to grow old. It happens…to everyone.

I watched a documentary last night on the life of Glen Campbell and his slow demise into Alzheimer’s disease. His last song was titled I Won’t Miss You. Because anyone with Alzheimer’s won’t. They slowly lose their memory until they know no one. Obviously the pain is left with loved one’s who will miss the one who is cognitively drifting away.

But what about others who’s physical bodies erode, and mental ability lessens. They think they are still 100%, but they are not. Physical ailments become more numerous and more frequent and loved ones do their best to make things work with those who are ailing.

It must be very hard to be in this situation. Makes one wonder if instant death is the ‘best way to go’. I wonder what it must be like to be in the shoes of those who experience this kind of slow demise. It must be difficult to forge ahead in everyday life, knowing that the ravages of linear time is not going to reverse. Certainly not an enviable position. Yet we all know that the end is ‘near’. Is the uncertainty comforting or discomforting? I think it’s actually both.

Hang on to everything possible. Allow others to help you when necessary. Appreciate the fact that you opened your eyes this morning, and celebrate life.