Welcome to Chicago

Boulder, Colorado

I spent last year, 2012, in Boulder, Colorado. I went there because a door presented itself and I knew in the depths of my heart that I would learn and grow in ways that, at the onset, I could not fathom. I've discovered this to be an ever-present truth in life. To set out on a course in life without full knowledge of just what I will find, though with a heart and mind to find something that will enrich me, will always prove to bring new found wisdom, experience, and opportunity. The door to something new is always in front of me, the only question is whether I will seize the mysterious opportunity or stand appeased with where I'm at. I learned more about myself and the world than I ever figured a year would bring me. Life ever presents us with a choice. Each waking moment, or dreaming moment, for that matter, is rife with such choices. The key to enter into something so glorious that it brings new definition to life is having the faith to take a step where you have not yet been. In doing so, horizons are broadened and the truth remains constant: the sun will always dawn upon a new day. The sun drives this planet of life and adventure, I've found less and less fear in my approach to life with this comforting understanding. It's both humbling and empowering, this fact of life. The little choices we make second to second shape our lives, though there is a higher orchestration at play which will sustain us. History has proven this. Why fear treading in a land of which you know not? Your faith will bring you all the vision you need in time so long as you embrace your journey, your mission, your wanderings will love. When in doubt, look to the sky. This is a metaphor for looking to God, looking to that eternal spring of essence which sustains us. I should say, when in doubt, close your eyes and look to the sky. It is there, where you can strum the chords of your harp-heart, where peace, grace, and love abound.

Prosperity does not come from an account of the wallet, it comes from an account of the heart. With faith and love as my currency, I have all the resource I need to go where my heart leads. This is how I've come to land in Chicago.

Chicago, IL

I traveled to the heart of this city a few times in 2010, a year in my life underscored by soul-searching, wandering in the wilderness, doubt, depression, fatigue, and general depravity of spirit and soul. I took note, as a distant observer from a place amidst the clouds, that the city had a peculiar energy about it-a synergy of momentum that I couldn't quite pin down. It was strange and strangely fascinating. Today, and for the past two weeks, I live in the heart of Chicago. I see now the nature of this energy. It's a machine of progression, though not always in the best manner. Chicago is a corridor of ideological, industrial, and commercial diffusion. History, just as a map, will speak to the importance of this region in facilitating the westward development of the United States. That spirit of growth is tangible throughout these city streets. It is as an unstoppable machine of motion, fed by creativity and commercial desire. My sole objective here is to see the creative engine become the dominant driving force behind the gears of this corridor. What exactly this will look like and what sort of role I will play as time goes on is still a mystery to me, but that is precisely what makes the journey as fun and enriching as it is. This is my dance of creative expression. I feel the hardest part has been shifting from the music of trees and mountain streams to stepping in time with whim of lake born winds, trains, and a massive city full of people on very serious missions. There is little in life quite as shocking to the rhythm of my motion as shifting the musical timing of my atmosphere. Waltzing from Oklahoma to Colorado to Chicago has shown me something: If I want to keep my footing and dance in grace, I have to tune my ears to eternal love. This is my life force, and though the sounds that resonate in my immediate vicinity differ drastically from where I've come, the core of this symphony stands resolute.

I look forward to seeing where my feet lead me. They move by the beat of my heart.

Ciao