Twists and Turns

Straight lines can be interesting, but my eye is always attracted to the curves. I am much more drawn to ever changing twists and turns. Even when a straight line or a right angle would be more efficient or more practical, still I favor the wavy lines and the rounded corners. I prefer taking the winding canyon roads as apposed to the straight highway. I prefer the rolling hills to the flat plains.



In the same way, I prefer a life full of twists and turns. Sure, the formulaic highway of life may be mapped out and well marked, but I believe the bends and curves of the less traveled paths make life more interesting and exciting.

A Storm is Coming

When a storm comes, we feel that the wrath of God is upon us. When the storm passes, we realize that it was necessary for our growth.

Living with Our Heads in the Clouds

Daydreaming. We all do it. Some of us do it more than others.

Often, the act of daydreaming is viewed in a negative light. Daydreamers tend to be criticized for having their head in the clouds, and for not paying attention the important and pertinent issues. Our society defines daydreaming as an unfocused, unprofessional, and utterly useless waste of time.

I personally feel that daydreaming is a wonderful gift. It serves as a creative palate on which we can mix reality, fantasy, past, present, and future. However, just like the painter who spends his entire day mixing paints to make the most splendid colors but who never touches brush to canvas, if we do not utilize our daydreams than we prove that what society thinks of daydreaming is true: it is all for naught.

In a way, every writer, artist, innovator and great prophet who has ever walked the earth is a professional daydreamer. So are the political activists, the missionaries, and the philanthropists. The craft that they have mastered is harnessing their daydreams into their mediums, and using their various skill sets to connect with and inspire those who need connection and inspiration. They know how to bridge the gap between creativity and productivity.

What have you been daydreaming about lately? How could you use your daydreams to connect with and inspire those around you?

If you need to find me, look up. I'm probably somewhere with my head in the clouds.

Family Trees

This time of year it is sometimes unbearable to go outside around here. The dry, southern California heat can be so blistering that it keeps even the most enthusiastic nature-lover inside. There is refuge, however, in the shade. When there is a nice breeze, shade can transform a miserable day in the 100+ degree heat into a comfortable afternoon spent outdoors. Even our dog has learned how to run from one shadow to the next when we go for walks, and he often plops down for a break in the shade of one of the local trees.

Interestingly enough, I don't think I have ever thanked the trees for bearing the sweltering rays so I didn't have to. I naturally gravitate to the shade they provide, but often take that shade for granted, as if I was entitled to it.



It reminds me of the shade I have been blessed with my entire life. Not necessarily shade from the hot summer sun, but from the rigors of life. I am reminded of the many trees that have surrounded my life:

My dad, who worked so hard to make sure that I always had the things that I needed (and the things I thought I needed). My mom, who made sure that I never missed a dentist appointment, a paper due date, or a meal, and always took care of me when I was sick despite my persistent whining. My wife, who has always encouraged me to chase my dreams, and has supported me even when they were wild goose chases. My grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles, who all blazed the trails of life ahead of me and gave me so many examples of how to live a meaningful life.

I think I will try and be more appreciative of the trees in my life, and always be grateful for the shade they provide.

In Bloom

We suffer the hardships, the trials, the rainstorms, and the growing pains so that when we get the chance to bloom we will show our brilliant colors.

Our Life and Legacy

When you think of a great man or woman of the past, who do you think of? Do you think of a wise philosopher, a renowned artist, a progressive scientist, or an illustrious physician? Perhaps you think of a ground-breaking craftsman, a successful entrepreneur, or a great man of faith.

Most likely, the person you are thinking of is an individuals who pushed their field of study, their art form, their spiritual relationships, or even their society forward into a new age.

What legacy will we leave behind on this earth? Where can we push our world forward? Maybe we will be remembered as brilliant scholars. Maybe we will be thought of as inspired artists. Perhaps people will look back on us and remember how industrious and inventive we were.

I hope our posterity will remember us for finding a way to love each other unconditionally, and without exception.

Our Magnificent Imperfections

We are flawed people. It is a fact of life. No matter how much we strive for perfection, we cannot attain it. We will never escape our imperfections.

They are often the aspects of ourselves we try to hide - the knots, the cracks, the scars.



We can spend so much time and money trying to cover up our imperfections that we begin to convince even ourselves that they do not exist. And then what? I think we begin to forget who we are.

In some ways, our flaws help define us. They distinguish us as individuals. Our quirks, our habits, and the inner battles that each of us fight every day give us unique perspectives on the world around us. They help us relate to one another and learn from each other. If we can begin to embrace our imperfections instead of attempting to cover them up, think how much happier our lives will be.

Our flaws are beautiful.

Congratulations to the Class of 2008

"We all go through life bristling at our external limitations, but the most difficult chains to break are inside us.

You have a choice. You can either be a passive victim of circumstance or you can be the active hero of your own life. Action is the antidote to apathy and cynicism and despair. You will inevitably make mistakes. Learn what you can and move on. At the end of your days, you will be judged by your gallop, not by your stumble."

- Bradley Whitford

Shadows and Gaps

Sometimes it takes a silhouette to draw attention to a spectacular sight that otherwise might have gone overlooked. The shadows reveal the shape and fullness of an object on the horizon while the last rays of sunlight poke through the gaps.

Lying in bed at night, I often reflect on they life I led that day - my own silhouette. The shadows are my successes: The things I accomplished. The improvements I made. The positive impact I had on people. The gaps are my failures: The things I put off. The time I wasted worrying about myself. The kindness I failed to show to those around me.

Tomorrow, I hope that my silhouette is fuller and more defined than today.

Borrowing Paradise

Picture paradise. For one person, it may be an island in the Caribbean with white sand and clear water as far as the eye can see. For another person, paradise is a log cabin by a lake with a view of snow capped mountains. Yet another might say that paradise is the ice skating rink in the middle of Rockefeller Center on a crisp, snowy night. What someone else may call paradise is a river running through a dense tropical rain forest. Paradise might also be any place where one has their dearest family and friends with them. We all have our own definition of paradise.



Now, ask yourself, "If I lived in my version of paradise, would I ever take it for granted?"

If you are like me, your initial and immediate response was probably something like "Of course not, are you crazy?!" But step back for a second. Look around you. What have we taken for granted today? What might we have been taking for granted for a week now? a month? a year? a lifetime?

We may be living in someone else's paradise. We should appreciate it as such.

Darkness and Light

I find encouragement in the fact that no matter how dark this life gets there is always enough light to find our way, even if it means crawling on our hands and knees for a while. It is these moments of darkness that test our character, and when the sun finally comes out again, we often find that we are stronger people because of the darkness we have endured.


Cloudy Sun, originally uploaded by A Humble Perspective.

What They Say about Absence...

Sometimes we appreciate things more when we have them less. In southern California, we are lucky to see any change from season to season at all. About a month or so ago, however, we had a week of rain. Before the rainstorm the temperature was chilly (by LA standards), and when the rain finally stopped you could sense the transition into spring.

When the sun came up the next day, the mountains around Calabasas were so bright with colors that it looked like someone had lit them on fire. The once barren, brown earth was now engulfed with brilliant yellows and deep greens, and the usually smoggy sky was as clear as glass.



Not only did the weather and the scenery change, but the people did, too. Parks were crowded with hikers enjoying the views, commuters drove more casually, children played outside in the fields of green grass, and it seemed like everyone's shoulders lowered about a half inch from their ears.

Growing Down

When I was a kid I woke up every morning excited about the adventure ahead of me. I would play, explore, create, and discover. I would walk out into the woods, not knowing where I was going, and find my own path in and out, captivated by the astonishing world around me. I would ride my bike as far as I could before the sun went down. I would play sports with my friends for hours, simultaneously wearing dirt patches into the grass and grass stains onto our pants and t shirts.



And then came the day when someone asked me, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" This harmless question would forever alter my life. Now instead of enjoying today I was thinking about tomorrow. Where would I go to school? What would I study? How would I make the most money? What was I passionate about? What would I find fulfillment in? What was I meant to do?

Before I had time to answer the first question I was confronted by the next, and before I knew it my childhood was gone and I was left at a loss for what I should be doing with my life.

I still can't tell you what I want to do when I grow up. Maybe I want to be an artist. Maybe I want to own a business. Maybe I want to be a philanthropist. I know one thing for sure, though: I want to get lost in the woods again. I want to play so hard that I wear dirt patches in the grass and wear out my new jeans. When I grow up I want to be a kid.

Stop and Smell the Roses...

There will always reasons not to do the things we want to do; the things we may need to do. We have places to be, deadlines to meet, people to please, and before you know it the things in our lives that should be important are the things that are being neglected. We need to take a step back and gain a new perspective on our lives and the lives of those around us. We need to rediscover the world that we abandoned for "more important" things. We need to carve time out of our busy days to stop and smell the roses.

This blog serves as a medium for me to do just that. I have avoided my creative responsibility for long enough. With each post, I will include one of my photographs with a thought from my perspective.