“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” -Muhammad Ali

It’s been a while… too long actually. In fact, I realize I am a complete stranger to my own keyboard, aside from Facebook messaging and Twitter updating. Anyway, I’m back.

Like women during different stages of pregnancy or certain times of the month (I don’t know how you do it), I get cravings too. Although far less predictable and calorie laden, these feelings come in the form of perspective, humility, and urgency. Well, consider this one of those moments. Now bear with me as I try to convert this “thundersnow” (a term unknown to me until it happened recently) of emotion into a more layman version…

I will make a difference in this world, even if it means giving up everything in mine. As real as my heavy breathing and feverish typing is my desire to completely surrender everything predictable and comfortable to find solace in the unknown. Although I acknowledge and appreciate the broken road that finds me here, I can’t ignore the revealing glimpses of myself seen thousands of miles away.

It’s hard to argue we aren’t all byproducts of everyone and everything we’ve encountered thus far in our lives. Furthermore, I believe our unique collection of backgrounds, conversations, experiences, friendships, tragedies, and triumphs not only compiles and completes our own reflection but also allows us to become one, layer by layer. Does that make sense? If not, maybe this will…

Every day you wake up, step into the bathroom, and (after your eyes adjust to the unfamiliar light) look into the mirror. What you see is rather self-explanatory, but what you may not see right away is quite self-exclamatory. Imagine standing in front of that mirror as a mirror yourself. Now what do you see? A reflection of a reflection of a reflection… You see infinity.

Now, getting back to my point, if we carry this mind set with us every day to work or school, you may notice a strikingly different exposé. Now, interacting with a co-worker or classmate, because of their composite “reflections,” is so much more. Whether we like it or not and for better or worse, we simultaneously reflect off one another, creating a limitless vision for all willing to embrace it.

On average, a human being blinks over 6 million times per year. And, with every blink, the mind takes a picture. While only a fraction of these images stick, we are capable of saving them much longer if we attach meaning to them. With that, I desire to simply breathe optimism and positivity into deserving picture frames so that others may proudly decorate the walls of their spirits.

I may have stumbled vicariously through my first 25 years, but I guarantee the next 25 will be paved with refined purpose and renewed precedence. Anyway, I’m going back…