Lessons from a Vagabond

As the leaves begin to fall and the air begins to bite and as the summer recedes into a cavalcade of blurry memories, I’d like to review my Summer Goals.

Home is settled, income is coming in and stabilizing. My travel writing has begun to take shape, and my documentary photography is out there for the world to see. I started learning an instrument (the guitar) and got in touch with arguably the most important instrument I have, my voice and I’ve written three songs with more to come.

But most salient to a year’s worth of reconstructing, I have learned what it means to have self compassion. Self compassion means doing what you love and loving who you are as you are - and knowing that if you compromise this goal, you compromise your own happiness. No one gets anywhere by chiding themselves for what truly exists in their heart of hearts. I don’t need to be anyone else other than who I am.

This summer, I may not have gone back to Baja or to Burning Man and I may not have learned to surf, but as another year approaches, I feel like I’m closer to being the man I am rather than worrying about the man I think I should be.

So sexy.