Remember who I am

I grew up in a town so small, you could blink and miss it. Everyone knew everyone’s business. Dreams? They were small here. Safe. Predictable.

But not mine. My head was full of distant shores. I’d climb to the top of the hill, stare at the horizon, and imagine… everything. 

Folks didn’t get it. “Why can’t you be happy with what’s here?” they’d ask. Their words were like walls closing in.

Remembering who I am isn’t just about nostalgia. 

It’s about honoring the core of my being – that curious, ambitious spirit that dared to dream beyond the town limits. 

It’s recognizing that my roots shaped me, but they don’t define my limits.

It’s standing firm in our authenticity, even when it’s uncomfortable. 

It’s carrying the lessons of our past while refusing to be bound by its constraints.

Sometimes, I catch myself slipping into old patterns, shrinking to fit others’ expectations. 

That’s when I need to climb that hill again, in my mind if not in reality. I breathe in the memory of that vast horizon and remind myself: I am meant for more.

Embrace the Uncertainty

Every time I swing my leg over my motorcycle, there’s a moment of fear. The open road ahead is full of unknowns. 

That still scares me. But I’ve learned that’s where growth happens.

Twisting the throttle is like stepping into uncertainty. My heart races. Palms sweat. But I do it anyway. Because beyond that fear lies adventure.

Embracing uncertainty doesn’t mean the fear goes away. 

It means recognizing the fear, acknowledging it, but not letting it control you. 

Sometimes, I’m tempted to stick to familiar routes. The unknown is uncomfortable. But comfort rarely leads to growth.

I remind myself: every great journey – on the road or in life – starts with a step into the unknown.

Uncertainty isn’t just something to overcome. It’s what makes life rich with possibility. Without it, we’d just be going in circles, mistaking routine for living.

So we ride on, into the fog of the future. We lean into the curves, climb the hills, explore the detours.

Because in facing the unknown, we don’t just find adventure.

We find ourselves.

Upward, Not Northward

This one’s a bit out there, but stick with me. It all started with this old math book, “Flatland,” I stumbled upon in college. 

It’s about these 2D creatures trying to wrap their heads around a 3D world. Mind-bending stuff.

There’s this phrase that hit me like a truck: “Upward, not northward.” 

It’s how these flat  beings might describe moving into a whole new dimension. Not just scooting along in their familiar world, but breaking free of it entirely.

That idea? It changed everything for me.

In my life, “upward, not northward” means always pushing for a higher perspective. It’s not about plodding along the same old path. It’s about questioning the path itself.

Am I actually growing? Getting wiser? Loving deeper? Or am I just piling up stuff and chasing empty status?

Sure, it’s about growing spiritually and intellectually. But it’s more than that. It’s about shattering your whole view of the world.

Bringing It All Together

These three principles – remembering who I am, embracing uncertainty, and moving upward – they’re all tangled up together in my life. 

Knowing myself gives me the guts to face the unknown. My roots provide the stability I need to branch out into uncertainty.

Embracing the unknown pushes me to grow in new ways. 

It creates the space for that “upward” movement, for breaking through to new levels of understanding and being.

And as I move “upward,” gaining new perspectives, I see my origins – and myself – in a new light. I understand more deeply where I came from and how it shaped me, but I’m also free to reinterpret and reshape that narrative.