Over the last fourteen months I've been on a journey to discover myself. As I've hiked up and repelled down mountains, I've learned that I don't have "Quit" in me. And most recently, as I stood atop Diamond Head Volcano in Hawaii, I said to myself, "I did it! I fucking did it!" (Sorry for the language Mom - at least I didn't say it out loud). If I'm being honest here (and I am) all of my adventures on my journey have involved friends. Along the way, when I was feeling bad about myself or wondering how I was going to get to the next plateau, they encouraged me to keep going. And, as my journey progressed, we stopped to reflect and enjoy the view from wherever life had taken us.
My "Never Quit" mentality has also taught me that I'm never too old to learn. That's really what my journey has been about - learning. Learning about myself, learning about what matters, learning about other people. Many of the views that I had as a younger man have softened or at least the rules surrounding them aren't as hard and fast as they used to be. As I've opened myself up to trying to live in the moment, I've discovered that I can learn much from those that I've chosen to take on this journey of self-discovery.
I've learned that people are people no matter where you go. We're all humans and we all have our own stories. As I often tell people, "Don't judge my story by the chapter you walked in on." We all live, breathe, laugh, work, play, cry and eventually die. So let's be kind to one another. Treat everyone with respect and compassion no matter where you are. We are all in this together.
I've learned that life is short. Get out and enjoy it. Do as many things as you can while you still can. Fun things, scary things, adventurous things, just do it. Before starting my journey, I was always finding ways to make excuses as to why I couldn't do something but no more. I've developed a new love for life and you should too.
I've learned that stuff is just stuff. I've learned that he who dies with the most stuff doesn't necessarily win. It's funny how a few years ago we had a yard sale where we sold a bunch (and I mean a bunch) of our stuff and you know what we did after selling our stuff? We bought more stuff. I mean, how much stuff do you really need? So now, I'm trying to live a more simple life but I still have a lot of stuff. But I have learned that stuff doesn't make you happy. It's friendships and relationships with those who love you that matter. That's the stuff that life is made for.
So, thanks to everyone who's been either on and/or following my journey. I'm starting to enjoy life more now than I have in a very long time. Who knows where we'll go next...
Be Well.
Bill
