"Consider the Ravens..."

Hello from the middle of quarantine. I hope this post finds you well-rested, healthy, and thankful even as many of us grapple with new feelings of being bored, anxious in a different way, and a little bit purposeless in a world that seems to change every day. Many have asked how I am doing, and to be honest, I'm great (all things considered). I've come to the realization that my life isn't terribly different than quarantine life... but that's what's driving me to write this series. Many of my friends who are extroverts or who have jobs that require a lot of social interaction are finding themselves experiencing something they haven't felt in a long time, if ever. I, however, am well-acquainted with it. It's something our society doesn't like to talk about -- a word we relegate to the ultra-homebodies, the socially displaced, and those with very, very sad life stories. But today, I think it's all of us to some degree. Whether we'll admit it or n...

In these final months of my 20's, I find myself reflecting a lot on how much I have changed in the 10 years of 20's.  While I have very few regrets, there are more than a few things that hindsight has been a humbling 20/20 to accept as part of who I am and where I come from.  Maybe you can relate. At age 20, I was convinced I'd go to grad school and then likely onto a doctoral program to become a famous musician.  My entire identity and self-worth was wrapped up in being an accomplished musician.  God definitely gave me some talent, but what really fueled my achievements was pride and some entitled self-righteousness.  I just wanted to be good to prove to myself and others that I deserved recognition.  As that dream unraveled and then all but disappeared later in my 20's, what I'm left realizing is that it was never about the music or the achievements themselves.  All I was after was the recognition -- the acknowledgment, the confirmation that someon...