This is the exact number of times I have orbited around the Sun on this planet we call Earth, according to my birth certificate.
How stupidly magnificent. Each of those 9,855 days. A complete miracle.
Each year I have been alive, I become more enamored with life itself.
Enamored with its twists and turns, its ebbs and flows, its changing of the seasons, the inevitability of change itself, the passage of time, the birth and death within, the letting go, the holding on, the (not-so) little moments, the humbling losses, glorious wins, the trials and tribulations, the endings, the beginnings, the character refinement, the learning, the unlearning, the adapting, the curious inquiry, the old friends, and the new ones, the inner growth, the outer perceptions, the radical acceptance, the embrace of imperfection, the courageous leap, the vulnerable plunge, the unforged path, the forward motion, the setbacks, the passionate outbursts, the unspoken moments, the purposeful creation, the intentional devotion, the tears of both joy and pain, the energy, the receptivity of love, that metaphysical thing, the waiting, the action, the rejection of the status quo, the dreams, the smiles, the laughs, the run-on sentences (who, not me!), the self-awareness, the collective vision, the blessed nature of being, of being human.
Somehow, all of these experiences, thoughts, feelings, and emotions shape us into who we are. Who I am. Who you are. And what a gift it is to be.
It is in these sort of ecclesiastical undertones of life that we find meaning (see Ecclesiastes, especially chapter three).
I am beginning to understand my life is enriched the less I am in my head and the more I am present in my work and to those around me. The less I try to control, and the more I surrender to the good Lord, the more fulfilling life becomes.
And through it all, I have Peace amidst the chaos. Peace that passes all understanding. Because, somehow, I choose to believe life is beautiful anyway.
May we take nothing for granted, and everything with gratitude. May we spill grace generously to those around us, and stay connected to the Source of Life.
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
—G. K. Chesterton
And so, I thank you for journeying with me on this wild ride so far. Cheers to another year, friend. (And hopefully many more!)
With love,
Joe
Taking a deeper look at life. 