Monday Mania!

Hey Dawgies!

I know it's been some time since I've last written and for that I can only apologize. However I haven't gone away and still tend to this page as a smith tends to his forge! I've just been occupied lately not only with music but also another opportunity I've fallen into and am loving so far. More details to come. For now I'd like to share that I'm well and loving life and that I hope you all are well and loving life too. Summer's almost passed but we've still got August, we don't have to start singing Wake Me Up When September Ends yet! On to the point, (and I know I've broken the schedule) here's the latest topic for the weekly series:

"What event from your youth still teaches you lessons today? How do you apply what you learned?"

Several events from my youth still teach me today but I'll just detail one. Moving to Texas at 16 proved a significant event that impacted me subtly in ways I've realized over time and although one of the hardest experiences my younger-self endured it also stood as one of the most empowering. I love my friends and leaving them sucked, let's be real about that. However, it taught me about adaptability and to roll with the tide; I learned to trust myself in engaging others. Moving also displayed distance's weakness against fellowship, time's inability to tear bonds, and loneliness's lack of lasting power. As I move forward in life, I've learned to love new people in the way I loved my first friends, allowing me to hold on to the old and apply those behaviors to new groups I encountered. Now some may say I don't visit as often as I should, I may even strike others as distant or detached, and I may let more time slip by than I should in between conversations. Yet silence does not soften my bonds. My heart never forgets and I am unyieldingly loyal to friendship. If you're a friend of mine I hope you know you can reach out to me anytime and I'll be there. I'm blessed to call my friends companions and you all are still teaching me how to love unconditionally.

As cheesy as it sounds, it's reminiscent of the lesson found within the new Power Rangers movie. You may recall they can't morph until after they realize Billy (the Blue Ranger) is more important to them than their individual motivations and they're willing to sacrifice themselves so Billy could return. The scene literally brought tears to my eyes because to me, that's life's purpose and hardest challenge. American culture tends to a drive an ego-centric experience (in my opinion) yet you'll find studies suggesting altruism makes people the happiest and my own experiences confirm the same. Though the example references morphing to give the power rangers super-human power, the metaphor clearly implies that selfless love takes one beyond the basic human condition to a state of immeasurable strength (i.e. Love: putting the life of another ahead of your own = the ultimate, unconquerable, indomitable force). Yet as the movie suggests, letting go of the ego is tough and fighting it is how I continue to apply my youth's teachings. So here's to my friends, I love you and you've taught me to love without fear, you've shown me how to form solidarity, and you enable me to morph into a better human being.

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Thanks for reading Big Dawgs! Have a wonderful week!

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