Don't Stop Believing

"The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

When we finally make the decision to begin movement in our life, to finally begin that walk to our dreams; the walk can be a lonely one. The street may be empty and void of others. You hold the dream inside and no one else can see it. The wonderous vision that is yours setting you out on a journey is not always embraced by others.

Think of the movie "Wizard of Oz" in which Dorothy sets out on the yellow brick road.



Her journey begins with many people excited and cheering her on. But the journey is long and very soon she is by herself. You will find yourself alone after the excitement and pumped up enthusiasm wanes. It will become lonely and you will have to overcome the urge to stop.

Eventually, others will join you on this journey. The important thing is to never stop believing in your dreams. Keep moving forward. The following video is by a band from my youth. Somehow we start out young and bold. As age grabs hold of us, we allow it to slow us down and puts doubt inside.



Yes, we did tend to dress and let our hair grow out like that. But like any age, we were young and invincible. Running down the yellow brick road towards our destination. And then we seemed to have lost our way. We let our age and reason get in the way. We lost belief in our dreams and settled for what we had.

But we must never stop believing in those dreams or in what we want in life. We are never too old to give up the excitement of the journey. We are never too old to give up on our dreams. It all starts by putting one foot in front of the other.

The road may narrow and crack, it may be lonely for a while. But the road we take is still a journey to what we want in life. You can follow the road, make your own road or simply fly. Imagination and excitement will guide you to your destination. Just never stop believing.

No More Parking Violations

"The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble." ~Blaise Pascal

A parking violation is a "notice of monetary penalty issued for parking a motor vehicle in a restricted place or for parking in an unauthorized manner." A ticket is also issued for parking longer than the maximum time. There are reasons we may want to park longer then others feel necessary. But a time comes when we need to get back in the car and move on.

We all understand that when your life is cruising along, at various times we need to just pull over and park. We slow down and find an open meter to park for a short amount time. The time is used to reflect and rest. We are looking for that something which recharges our thoughts and energy. It is a way of refocusing on life.

It then becomes necessary to put the key back into the ignition. You turn the key to start the engine, place the car in drive and pull back out.

We have to get back into the stream of life and move on. Remaining parked will never get you to your destination.

I have seen so many talented people become fixated with stillness. They each had their own reasons. Some had fear of trying anything knew. Others liked the comfort of nothing. Yet each of them wanted more in life. Each of them had the ability within them like you and me.

They were each holding themself back. Having parked their car for so long, they had misplaced or lost the key for the ignition. The parking violations of excuses piled so high that it added to the burden which was used as an excuse not to move anymore.

What these people needed was a locksmith to help them find that key. All these people needed a paper shredder to help them rid the excuses. All these people needed was encouragement to place life back into DRIVE and move on.

We each have the ability to eliminate the 'parking violations' from our life. We each have the ability to help another to do the same. It may seem like a crowded road once we get back out there. The movement might be slow at first or at times. But even the smallest of movement creates distance from where you were to where you want to be. That movement will take you to a place that is on your destination list.

Open up that parking spot for someone else. Get your your life back on the road. And no more parking violations.

Getting Answers

J2a Haplogroup - The Cultivators

"No matter where you go, there you are." ~Confucius

The results are back and wow, where do I start? Were they earth shattering results of my family background? It actually took a bit of time and reading over and over again to comprehend what the DNA tests were telling me.

So yes, did we all basically come from the birthplace of civilization of the Fertile Crescent, where you'll find present day Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iraq. Not a huge surprise to me, but it was the the connection to the subgroup.

The testing revealed my ancestry is likely from a subgroup referred to as Cultivators that are associated with Anatolia, the eastern portion of modern day Turkey. Early agriculture in the history of mankind, it is likely that alongside irrigation and other agricultural techniques, my ancestors advanced civilization in other areas, such as writing and government.

A group of ancestors that are roughly 20,000 years old and from my first research of the results, appear to match where my more 'modern-day' ancestors came from.

So you probably think its about as likely as the astrology predictions in your local paper. The generalization of a haplogroup could place most anyone into that category. But it is the science behind the DNA markers that actually places a person there. And it is the known ancestral history that lends credence to it.

In example, the known history of my family dates back to the early 1800s; all were farmers; paternally they came from the farming rich area of what was northern Germany; the migration of peoples in this haplogroup settled in Germany as well. Again, you might suggest all 'perchance'.

I too take the information at a slightly extended arms length. But it is a piece to the puzzle of who I am. Life is a search for the history of oneself that will help reveal identity. This information can help you understand who you are and in turn help you develop a better life.

Heck, each of us at some point ask, "what is the meaning of life?" The question itself constitutes a philosophical question concerning the purpose and significance of life or existence in general. We certainly don't let the question get in the way of living life. But it is in our nature to wonder and I'm not here to suggest we'll ever fully answer that question.

The ability to 'ask' the question intrigues me and I know I will never fully understand it. But understanding where my history lay is something I can learn. I may not have a clear path back to the beginning, but I will have established something for future generations going forward.

Which is a very long way to get to where I am going with this article. When it comes to genealogical history, we look back trying to fill in all of those missing gaps. But we tend to forget that we must start with the present and record that for the future. If not, those future generations will be trying to find their history.

And it all begins by 'starting', the process of movement. You begin to do something about recording your present day; you begin by putting one foot in front of the other; you begin by beginning. If my ancestors hadn't began movement 20,000 years ago, I just might be living along the Nile River today. If I hadn't made movement in my life, I could be sitting on my back deck drinking myself into oblivion.

It does not start next week or even tomorrow. It starts today, it starts now. You can make the changes in your life that will effect generations to come. Make changes for the better and see what life writes about you.

Embrace

“Love... It surrounds every being and extends slowly to embrace all that shall be.” ~Kahlil Gibran

My posts talk about stepping out and challenging your self in every day life. To take those risks that will help you seize a better life for you and those around you.

It is for those around you that I'm speaking of today. There are risks we take that are smart to take. There are other risks which are unnecessary to take. The video below addresses one of them.



Take risks but not the unnecessary ones! Embrace the people you love by being safe. Have a great weekend everyone.