Colorful Beautiful People

This was the first blog I wrote, seems like ages ago... I felt it deserved to be revisited and revised... Both of these people and these places hold a special place in my heart so I wanted to share this once again...

One thing I have learned over this last year, or one could say my whole life yet didn’t appreciate until this year, is that we are a crazy collection of amazing, diverse, in-depth, at certain times narrow minded, beat down, and far too often a sold out group of colorful and beautiful people.

As I watch a person that I just meet, I can look in their eyes and see what drives them and inspires them, and ultimately what makes them tick. The intriguing way one person can be inspired by an activity, an organization, or even a job and another person the complete opposite, is a reflection of so much… childhood, experiences, circumstance, and a life which is alive and changing from one day to the next.

I will paint a picture of two recent encounters with two very different lives that has reminded me of embracing it all and learning and growing as you continue on in life’s curvy road. We are all so similar yet completely different…

I have met a person whose true love is being on the river. From the beginning the water captivates him, the stillness acting as almost a sanctuary, the waters ability to bring calmness to the soul and gives him time to reflect on life. Then to the unbelievable rapids and waterfalls that take his breath away and without even knowing give him a courage that drives his spirit in life and an aliveness that radiates from him, through his eyes and his smile that I admire, and I'm sure many people yearn for in life. To be truly driven by an activity turns it into being so much more. The river is perpetually moving onward and so will his life, taking him to amazing places and revealing to him his life’s purpose, through rivers and mountains and the beautiful people he meets along the way. The river becoming his powerful steadiness in an ever-changing life of tents and wilderness.



I then watch a person whose life started in New York, a city boy and business man at heart. A man who's personality is alive and electric. Someone who makes you smile by his exuberant quality without even meaning to. This is apparent in the way he moves in the business world and his social circle. Highlighting his duel ability to use not only his book smarts to his advantage, but also his natural ability to ease people’s tensions and make them feel comfortable, this makes him not only a true business man but also a true people person at heart. This is then backed by his intuitive ability to work a room at a party with a hot side kick on his arm. His inquisitive personality proves that he longs to learn more along the way, and open his heart and mind to new ideas and see the world in its ever-changing times. The way he asks me questions about life, circumstance, facts, and dreams motivates my mind and heart to do the same.



I embrace the thought of so many different and amazing people in a world that is vast and changing yet smaller than we know. A world that is completely open to us. To go from bluegrass in the woods, drinking wine from the bottle, under the endless skies and watching the stars. Lying on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere yet feeling completely in the center of everything. Then take me to the city, the sparkling lights and vibrant people, an aliveness that is intoxicating and can take your breath away. Drinking champagne on a yacht, singing to our favorite songs and laughing over moments shared. Amazing people, amazing conversations, and a view of Seattle in the distance, reminds me that life is short yet we have so much to offer during our stay.



As we learn from life and experience, we grow to know ourselves more and more. The colorful and beautiful people I am meeting along the way will continue to inspire me as these two did. These two men that are completely different, driven by completely different things, yet have the same sparkle in their eyes. I am ready to embrace the changes of life, to fall in love with eagerness and an excitement in my soul, in every setting from the river to the city. Continue to let my heart grow from the places that are ever so slowly being etched into its beatings.