Ohio Gray

The monochrome landscape looks dull on first glance. But a deeper gaze reveals tones of red and brown, soothed by a blanket of military gray clouds. It’s a landscape both bleak and full of texture.

It’s not the colors of a northeastern winter that makes it beautiful. It is the unbroken hedges of cranberry brown, set a-front of a houndstooth of tree trunks.

The branches sometimes bear orange limp tufts–leaves that have forgotten the warmth of summer. Here, winter birds like chattering chickadees and boldly colored dashes of cardinals and jays play and scrounge among squirrels and field mice.

It’s a wholely North American landscaping. No other gray is woolen soft. No other hedge is harboring the promise of spring’s new growth.

Here is where the wild is left to itself to sigh and rest. Here is where I feel the call to come to ground.

To come home.

***

I’ve been experimenting with illustration and free writing. It’s been an interesting creative outlet. I’ve always been a writer and an illustrator. But I never intentionally combined them in my creative cultivation.

I’m pleased with this one, both the spontaneity in my coloring and line work on the illustration, and the emotional painting in my writing.

What do you think?

Because doodles never happen while waiting for transcripts to load…

Sometimes, getting what you want is as simple as being specific. What do you want? As in DETAILS.

A lot of people don’t get SPECIFIC. They want the “normal stuff” and then wonder why they never have anything special. You’ve got to get specific.

This doesn’t just apply to stuff, like houses and cars and tech. It applies to the kind of Life you want to have, the things you want to do, and the person you want to be.

Being specific helps you set goals to achieve those things. And it helps you measure your progress.

If you don’t already have it, how do you find your Purpose?

First, a secret: despite what you might think, everybody else doesn’t have it figured out and you’re the only one who doesn’t. Start there. Everybody is on a journey of discovering and living out of their Purpose. Some are just further along that others.

Second, Purpose is deeply tied to who we are and to the things we care about. If you haven’t already done this, take note of the things you like and love. And be honest. Don’t note things you think you’re “supposed” to like or be passionate about. If pigeons and paper clips are your jam, own it!

Third, think about why you love those things and what about them tickles your fascination?

Another way to do this is time-travel. Your childhood self knows a lot more about your passions than you remember. Go back and think, what did you love then? What did you “want to be when you grow up?”

These interests, passions and fascinations are all hints and clues to your Purpose. Your most authentic and satisfying purpose comes out if who you are. But you have to know what you’re interested in and what your good at.

What do you want to Do?

This isn’t necessarily your day job that earns you money. It’s the Purpose behind what you do. Sometimes your day job is an extension of that Purpose. Sometimes your hobbies and activities more align with your Purpose.

Sometimes, we’re not so lucky to have this idea of Purpose figured out. We go about our day, we have fun, we have chores, and in the middle of all that we wonder why it matters. Purpose gives it weight to matter.

So how do you figure out your Purpose, especially if you don’t have one even on your radar?

My first suggestion is to take a step back throughout your day and notice what things bring you a satisfied smile. Do this for a week or so. Note the things that caused the smile. Did they involve your family? Your work? Your friends? What you read on the community bulletin board? What you did in your spare time?

What we enjoy being around, doing with our hands and having in our lives are clue to what brings us joy–and where joy lives is close to Purpose.

This Machine Kills Fascists…

Part of being The Boss is deciding what to do. You’ve got to pick a direction and how you intend to get there.

Will your first step be the right one? Who knows. You won’t know until you take it. Then, you got to make a new decision and step again.

Some steps will take you forward. Others will make you sidestep. And some might put you right back at the beginning. It feels a bit like Chutes and Ladders. But remember that with each step you’re learning something. It’s not just about getting to your goal.

It’s about learning to align your life with who you want to Be.