JOURNEY: I HAVE JOINED THE LOCAL ROTARY CLUB IN MY TOWN BECAUSE I SAW THE NEED TO GET MYSELF OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND WORLD IN AN EFFORT TO RE-CONNECT. ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THEY DO EVERY YEAR IS THE TOWNS FOURTH OF JULY PARADE. IT IS PRETTY BIG AND HAS AROUND 150 DIFFERENT ENTRIES THAT INCLUDE FLOATS, BANDS, POLITICIANS ETC. ALSO, IT HAS HORSES. GUESS WHAT I WAS GIVEN THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR. YEP, HORSE ENTRIES. I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED HORSES AND THOUGHT AS A KID THAT I WANTED TO RAISE WILD MUSTANGS, SO THIS ASSIGNMENT WAS NO PROBLEM. THE WAY THIS PARADE WORKS IS THAT BECAUSE OF ITS SIZE THERE ARE DIFFERENT STAGING AREAS THROUGH OUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ARE USED TO ORGANIZE THE GROUPS THAT ARE GOING TO BE IN THE PARADE AND WHEN THE TIME COMES THEY ARE FED DOWN A STREET TO A PLACE WHERE THEY ARE FUNNELED INTO THE PARADE ALONG WITH OTHER GROUPS COMING FROM DIFFERENT AREAS. IT IS CONTROLLED CONFUSION AT ITS BEST, BUT IN THE END IT ALL SEEMS TO COME TOGETHER. AT ONE POINT DURING THIS CONFUSION I HAD A FLASH OF INTUITION THAT OUR LIVES SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE THE PARADE ORGANIZATION. WE ARE ALL BEING DIRECTED DOWN CERTAIN PATHS AND FUNNELED ONTO THE STAGE, NOT NECESSARILY KNOWING WHAT IS GOING TO BE ALONG THE ROUTE. THERE ARE PEOPLE THROWING CANDY IN CELEBRATION SOMETIMES. THERE ARE ROAD BLOCKS THAT PREVENT TURNING INTO THE DIRECTION YOU THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO GO. THERE IS NOISE THAT EXCITES AND CONFUSES AT THE SAME TIME. THERE ARE HORSE GROUPS THAT GET ANTSY AT THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION. THERE ARE PEOPLE IN CONTROL AND THOSE THAT JUST FOLLOW DIRECTION. THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT TURN DOWN A ONE WAY STREET GOING THE WRONG WAY AND OTHERS THAT JUST LIKE TO STOP AND BLOCK TRAFFIC. THERE ARE ALSO MOMENTS OF WHIMSY AND EXECUTIVE DECISION MAKING SUCH AS WHEN YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THE FINAL TWO HORSE ENTRIES AND SUDDENLY REALIZE THE THE FRONT OF THE PARADE IS TURNING THE CORNER OF THE STREET YOUR STANDING ON AND COMING IN YOUR DIRECTION. DO YOU PANIC, RUN THE OTHER WAY, TELL EVERYONE ITS EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF. NO....YOU VERY QUICKLY SEND THE HORSES DOWN THE STREET AHEAD OF THE ONCOMING PARADE AND WAIVE GOODBYE TO THE KIDS YOU JUST SPENT FOUR HOURS WITH, KNOWING THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE INSERTED INTO A PARADE AND BE GIVEN EXPERIENCES THAT THEY WILL REMEMBER THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. THEN YOU GET OUT OF THE ROAD SO YOU DON'T GET RUN OVER BY THE PRECISION MOTORCYCLE GROUP WEAVING AROUND THE STREET AND COMING STRAIGHT AT YOU. FOR SOME REASON...FOREST GUMP COMES TO MIND. "LIFE IS LIKE A BUNCH OF CHOCOLATES". I LIKE THE THOUGHT OF INSERTING MYSELF INTO THE PARADE ROUTE AND ONTO THE STAGE OF LIFE. I WON'T KNOW WHAT WILL BE AROUND THE CORNER UNTIL I GET THERE. I WILL RISK THE MOMENTARY STEPPING IN HORSE MANURE IN ORDER TO BE FULLY ALIVE AND RECEIVE THE CANDY BEING THROWN AT ME. BARB WILL BE WAIVING FROM THE SIDE WALK AND I WILL WAIVE BACK KNOWING THAT I HAVE HER FULL SUPPORT TO MARCH INTO WHAT EVER IS AHEAD.

I WILL BE A CHILD OF THE WINDS UNTIL THE END OF MY DAYS-BRUCE COCKBURN


ONE STEP

IT ONLY TAKES ONE STEP TO MOVE AHEAD
TO TAKE YOU OUT OF THE WHIRL OF EMOTIONS THAT YOU'RE IN
TO SET A SITE OF THE DISTANT SHORE
TO LET YOUR SELF EXPAND AND FULL FILL YOUR RIGHT

IT ONLY TAKES ONE STEP

ONE STEP FOR YOU
ONE STEP FOR THOSE AROUND YOU
ONE STEP FOR LIFE

IT ONLY TAKES ONE STEP