Hello, Fallon! Oh, how I’ve missed you.
I’ve been coming home a bit more often lately. One, I missed my mom and my sister. Two, life has been busy in the city. I’ve been all over the world chasing several dreams: playing rugby, becoming a chiropractor, experiencing the city life, meeting extraordinary people, including the love of my life. And while it’s been wonderful in so many ways, I’ve recently been feeling an urge to slow down. Take a load off. Reconnect with loved ones.
What better way to do that than come drink coffee with the sunrise on my mom’s porch and listen to the chickens and birds chirp the day away?
I had the opportunity to catch up with a couple of my mentors and dear friends yesterday and was reminded of how amazing Fallon is. Growing up, it was all I knew, and it was magical. Leaving was tough, but something I felt called to do and couldn’t ignore. I’ve seen a lot more of the world now, and my eyes have been opened to different landscapes, different ways of life, and different opinions about how the world should work.
Meeting these differing ways of living head-on was not an easy thing to do. It forced me to challenge many of the beliefs, morals, and values I learned while growing up in a small desert cow town. My mind, heart, and soul became a battleground for opposing views to duke it out to the death. The tricky part was, once I had mulled over and whittled ideals down to their bare bones, there always seemed to be a nugget of wisdom and truth, dare I say goodness, inherent in these diverse ways of thinking. Talk about confusing.
My mom has long accused me of being a philosopher, and I laugh it off because she also taught me to be modest. Also, if I didn’t laugh, I’d cry. Sitting and thinking and spinning ideas around in your head to look at them from every possible angle is exhausting. Challenging yourself and your beliefs is hard and downright scary.
Change from a survival perspective brings the unknown, and our survival genes do not appreciate that. To the innate intelligence within each of us that is concerned with immediate survival of self, change equals death. However, from a long-term evolutionary perspective, change equals possibility and progress. Not just the ability to survive but the ability to thrive.
The experiences of living in different places with different people have changed me, and I am grateful for that. Mostly because they have tested me to find what is truly important. Being kind, respecting one another's differences, doing good, helping my neighbors. These are all things I learned growing up in our community and the very ideals that stood the philosopher’s battleground no matter where I traveled.
I have also learned that these things are no good in a life of solitude, that just as important is our ability and willingness to share our experiences with those around us. To commune, to interact, to see life not only through our own lens, but through the experiences of others as well.
I will admit, it was a bit scary thinking of coming home after living in big cities for almost ten years, knowing that I have changed quite a bit. However, my friends reminded me that the people of Fallon are great in that they’re just out here living. They offer respect and love readily to others who are living and doing good in our community. That’s not something to take lightly; in fact, it’s pretty damn special.
So, in ending today’s log, I want to say thank you. Thank you to Fallon for being an amazing place to grow up. Thanks for making me tough and kind. Thank you for raising me right.
It’s good to come from a small desert cow town.
Happy Birthday, Mom!
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