I wrote the following last October while en route to Colorado. It was an unusual trip made more so by an unlikely lineup of events. Co-presenting at an advising conference in Salt Lake City spawned a plan to spend a week getting there. I would spend a few days in my old stomping grounds just outside Rocky Mountain National Park, then head west to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, then head to Moab Utah for a couple of days taking in sights in Arches National Park and possibly Canyonlands National park. But an unprecedented flood wreaked havoc on the Front Range washing out roads and bringing normal daily life to a crashing halt in the area I planned to visit. Then unprecedented idiocy in Washington DC brought normal daily life to a halt for the federal government as well--closing all of the national parks in the process. With these gloomy confounding variables looming on the horizon, I watched a serene and prolonged sunset through the plane window and the urge to write something kicked in:

Ethereal, floating, sharp, bright.

The stratospheric geography engulfs in color and texture.

Looking down and contemplating the ever-denser layers below—

Charging inward to Earth’s incredibly dense heart.

Day above, Night below.

I revel in skimming this plane betwixt Sol and Nox.

Heights feared, depths despised.

I transcend in flight—soaring to graze the depths of space.

In the weightlessness between height and depth I float above fears, failures, foibles—peace.

Such a balance cannot last in Entropy’s lair.

Sol wanes, Nox waxes—

My spinning-top world wobbles.

A lefty in a right world.

Bent in a straight world.

A stranger and alien, yet tied by fear, hope, ignorance.

Running the race set before me—

Aspiring and defeated.

Triumphing and tripping.

Strong and spineless.

The eternal mind grappling with the humbling exigencies of an inevitable march towards chaos.

At the Trailhead

I've had it in mind to start a blog for a long time. Actually starting one today was a rainy day whim. Eventually maybe I will include some pictures or have a sense of direction with this. For right now, I have a concept. I envision this blog as a rambling collection of trails. In the world of hiking, that's what blue blazes indicate--side trails leading hikers to waterfalls, rocky overlooks, shady vales, and alternate routes. As with hiking, this may be a solo hike or I may have travelling companions. I enjoy and value both experiences, and my choice to write in blog format is an invitation to any who wish to accompany me on the journey.

I did have other, more focused notions for the blog. I have causes about which I care deeply, and ideas I enjoy discussing, and interests that are made richer through sharing. Hopefully all of these areas will find a place along this journey. The main trail lies on the ground of my lifelong enjoyment of writing and reflecting. I love the interplay of words and ideas. My hope is to use this love to blaze trails that will shed light, provoke contemplation, and lead to new vistas. And along the way, as with any good hike, there will be lighter moments, and perhaps unexpected moments just around the bend.

So as we embark from the trailhead, I will tell a bit about myself in very broad strokes. First and foremost I am a Christian. I am a father. I am gay. I am divorced. I am an academic advisor. I am a hiker, gardener, cook. I am a former preaching minister. I am many other things as well, but hopefully this much self-revelation will suffice to start the journey.