“To see it, you have to look for it; to look for it, you have to know it exists.”

These are the words of Charles Eisenstein, author of The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible.

This powerful sentiment got me thinking…

What is it that exists? Is it us — here, now, alive — waiting for our time to live?

Do we exist if we feel the heart within our chest go thump, yet we walk past another, and we see them as the other?

Do we exist if the life contained within these bones has been separated, isolated, the color in our eyes has faded?

Do we exist as single beings in a world of I, where my truth is my truth, your truth is yours, yet all that does is close the doors.

To discussion, compassion, connection in a world that needs it now, thought we needed it before; let’s find a common truth and begin to open up the door.

Into a new world, a novel reality, unlike any we have seen before.

Where it doesn’t matter what you believe, what I believe — all that matters is that we believe in something bigger than ourselves.

However, it’s not a saving grace, technology to innovate our human race, design a screen to scan our face; cause the more that I look into this device that I hold, the more fearful I become of the world that we’ll live in when the day comes that I am old…

We don’t need to innovate; we don’t need to seal our fate. Yet it seems we do the more that we separate.

It exists — not I, not you, not them, but we.

We exist.

We as the universe; we as a song through verse; that has its highs and has its lows — not denying it — no doubt that we have had our woes.

But the more that we buy into the paralyzing fear, it holds us down, the incessant voice inside our ear: You should be scared. The death rate’s rising!

The harm the ticker’s doing — utterly demoralizing.

The fear, it has one goal, and that’s cutting us from the source. Cut from what we are — connected — but now we only feel remorse; that we had the nerve to step outside, we had the nerve to share a hug?

But what can we expect when nobody knows the truth?

We work with what we know, an individual pursuit; to discern the light from dark, inundated by the noise, pulled in every which way.

Did we ever have a choice?

What are we giving up when we forgo a high-five, is that the future that we want?

What does it mean to be alive?

We’ve been told to stay inside, we’ve been told to close the doors. We’ve been told to shield ourselves from our mother that is Source.

The source is nature, for nature is us. We are the wind, we are the sea; although everything we long to be fades into thin air, the more we look for certainty.

That it’s safe to be ourselves, that it’s safe to hug a tree! Because really, we don’t know — we means you and me.

I’m not saying this is the truth, perhaps you won’t agree. But it’s time we think for ourselves, reclaim our sovereignty.

We don’t have to be the same, perhaps we won’t see eye to eye — metaphorically speaking — but when I do look in your eye;

I see a spirit, a heart, a being just like me. We need connection now, forevermore, two souls we’re born to soar.

And reconnect with Mother Earth, the source within us all, cut out the noise, embrace nature, to once again stand tall.

As tall as the coastal woods, as tall as the snowy peaks, break free from what holds us back.

No longer will we cower, weak.

So let’s start looking, it exists, it exists in you and me.

Let’s start looking, unified —

A Brighter Future Starts With We.

Reconnecting With the Source

This source that I speak of is the energy that exists in all things. It’s the universe that tells us what we need to hear; it’s the miracle of the sun rising in the morning. It’s the glow of the midnight moon.

It’s the feeling we get when we know something is right, or the sense that something is wrong no matter how right it seems. It’s the void that seems unfilled and aches when we see another human hurting.

It’s the joy that we feel when a friend, a family member, even a stranger has been lifted from the depths we all find ourselves in at some point or another.

This source is our instinct, our inner voice, the binding light that connects us to each other and the Earth. We must never let this light fade.

Last December amid the throes of the pandemic, I felt a profound call to nature. Not that things are any less perplexing now; but at the time the pressure was overwhelming.

I needed to separate from the noise, the fear, and the pervading notion that we must be afraid of one another and the Earth. How could this make sense?

At this pivotal point in human history, it’s challenging to know which way to turn, who to listen to, and what information to trust. At the end of 2020, I just needed to be still.

I left on a road trip through northern California and the Pacific Northwest to find myself again, beginning in Yosemite and the redwoods, then traveling through Oregon up to Washington’s Olympic National Park.

What I found in the arms of nature was a reconnection with myself, in a sense, but more importantly, I found a connection to we.

I didn’t know it at the time — but I was called to nature for a reason.

I’m twenty-five years old.

Since I graduated from college, I’ve found myself searching for something beyond the traditional paradigm that goes: work incredibly hard now at something we may or may not enjoy, to let off steam on the weekends and one day, with enough money saved, we may start “living” life.

But does truly living simply mean to take our foot off of the pedal?

I’m blessed to have the opportunity to think deeply about this. I am infinitely grateful for my parents and elders who took a chance and went for their dreams, for they have inspired me to go for mine.

I’m indebted to all of those brave souls who have come before me and didn’t settle, but believed they were destined for something more.

To those that sacrificed everything they had, who fully came alive and paved the way for a brighter future. To those who made the time to play, connect, and think deeply about the ways in which the world works.

We all deserve the time to think, play, and immerse ourselves in the beauty that is the natural world; we all deserve the time to lose ourselves in the eyes of another human being without feeling afraid, dejected, rushed, or unworthy of love.

With the opportunity I’ve been given, I’m going to tirelessly seek what makes me come alive. I will do everything I can to inspire others not to settle either, because we all deserve the opportunity to live the life we’re born to live.

I believe the natural world speaks to us if we make the time to listen. Right now, it’s telling us something. The universe is speaking to us. It’s telling us to come together as we find ourselves in between stories.

We don’t have to be afraid, for there’s a brighter future in store, but we must step into it ourselves.

My Debut Nonfiction Novel: Arrows of Youth

I hope and believe, from the bottom of my heart, that the above poem encompasses the themes of my first book — of connection, courage, growth, healing, and compassion.

I can’t believe I have the privilege of sharing my book with the world.

Coming out next month, Arrows of Youth: A Young Man’s Inspiring Journey to Find What Lights His Soul on Fire is part memoir, part travel story, part spiritual exploration set against the backdrop of my 2020 adventure through the natural world of California and the Pacific Northwest.

I’ve put everything I have into Arrows of Youth, but it wouldn’t be possible — it wouldn’t even have been a thought — without the people who’ve encouraged me along the way. I am infinitely grateful.

More than just my personal tale, this book is a story of we: how we must come together and foster compassion, love, and connection for each other and the planet at this pivotal point in human history.

Our experiences are arrows on our backs to draw upon in the heat of life’s journey. They will always be with us. To collect arrows is to live in gratitude for every step as life unfolds.

No matter what happens, we’ll always have a quiver of experience and our spirit as a bow. Each day is a memory we get to shape and craft. We’re sharpening the arrows to stow on our backs with every second we appreciate life for the gift that it is.

In the book, I draw on ancient wisdom, my favorite timeless stories, and contemporary discussion to guide me along as I ask the perennial questions of life.

The story is imbued with my poetry and travel photography which I hope make it much more than just a nonfiction novel. Arrows of Youth is an insightful adventure.

I sincerely hope that you may come away from reading Arrows of Youth with an insight, a dream, a vision that I never could have imagined. This book is aimed to bring joy and inspiration to anybody searching for meaning.

Join my Weekly Insights for free early access, where you’ll also receive my latest published stories and all that has me thinking, smiling, and dreaming of more. I’d be honored to have you on the team! 

Arrowsofyouthbook.com