Spring

It's early. There is a thunderstorm passing us by to the north, you can see a bit of lightning and hear the rumble of distant thunder. The windows are open and the light pat of rain can be heard outside in the trees. The deep smell of new green in the woods is thick and intoxicating. Everyone is asleep and the darkness seems complete at this hour.

There is a stack of freshly cut wood nearby ready to be carved into hiking sticks, a pot of freshly brewed coffee is waiting for me to consume it. The aroma of the coffee is dancing with the freshness of the rain and the green growth of spring wafting through the open window in front of me. There are a multitude of reasons for me to me irritated lately... yet right now I can't think of a single one of them.

Every spring I read The Lord of The Rings by Tolkien. I never set a time to begin it, the appropriate moment just seems to appear for the adventure to begin. I feel that time is at hand. When I was a small child fumbling my way through the books for the first time I never imagined the impression they would leave on me. The story is the ultimate telling of the human experience. Loyalty to honor and friendship beyond anything else, the realization that when all else is stripped away those are the things left.

Within the realm of our mind we build many castles, both dark and grand, it seems a true shame that when we complete these fortresses we seem to spend most of our time lingering in the dank solitude of their dungeons, allowing our minds to become overrun with the blackest moments in our lives. This time of year brings everything back to the beginning. Not a time of starting over, but a moment of reflection over what has transpired and clarity of what is to come.

Many people attempt to define themselves or even try to "find" themselves, feeling that along the way they have become lost. You were never lost. You've always been the same, coming to terms with this is why so many people seek refuge from something, never realizing that its themselves they are running from.

The influences of other people or situations in life are many and varied yet the only constant in all of these moments is you. Surely we change over time, life is a grand ride through rough and still waters, but the core of who we are remains constant. What we have dealt with shapes who we are to an extent, yet to define ourselves this way isn't what needs to be done. People seek solace in many ways and from many sources only to realize nature itself shows us every year what needs to be done. That is simply to remember who you are.

Regardless of our lives to this point. Be it many places and many people, both good and bad as we feel it, the core of our existence remains unchanged. The only thing brought to bear is what do we do with it? Choices...

The house begins to stir, people wake from their slumber and the day starts anew... What do you choose to do with it? This day will never come again in your life, make it extraordinary...