Fire, Burning Desire

I’ve finally got a working computer again, and I’m stoked to get back in the writing zone; my life is incomplete without writing, in many ways. The first benefit is the meditation and head space I receive from writing, the second is that writing is my profession, how I feed myself; writing is my life, what I have to offer the world.

           

Officially it is still spring, but in Durango it feels like summer. It feels like a hot summer is on the way, we’ve already had fires popping up near town. This is my first summer in Durango, and something feels burning inside of me, a burning desire to experience life to the fullest, and manifest some dreams of mine.

I once heard someone say that the most common rhyme in music was fire and desire. After I heard that said, I’ve heard that rhyme all the time. And once a fire is in your heart and soul, there is a desire for it to grow.

My personal fire right now is on many fronts: the desire to become the best climber I can be, the dream to manifest my goal of becoming a successful writer, and that search for love, or as Johnny Cash says it better “flesh and blood needs flesh and blood.”

 Since I’ve last blogged I also have taken a job, a part time gig at my favorite Mexican restaurant in town, called Zia Taqueria. It feels good to be working in a kitchen again, and I’ve realized how much I missed that type of work. Many of my coworkers are Mexican, and I’m stoked to work on my Spanish. Plus there’s just something about the Latino spirit that moves me, the work environment there is really enjoyable.

I love climbing so much, more and more every day, and currently I’ve got a goal in mind, which usually helps me dedicate my energy to a dream. The goal is to do a Birthday Challenge in the next couple of weeks. My birthday is in December, which is a terrible time of year to do a proper rock climbing Birthday Challenge, plus the older one gets, the more difficult the challenge becomes. Recently I was talking with a climbing partner of mine, Badger, and we realized our birthdays are a mere three days apart. We are also only a year apart in age, he’s like a “brother from another Mother”. So, we decided we would do a mid-year challenge. Today will be our first training session at the local Golf Wall, as we build up to doing 34 pitches in day. So psyched!

I can’t overstate how much fire is building is my heart and soul right now, it’s almost a little overwhelming. I feel it leading to living my dreams, which is what the essence of being human is about, right? Please comment below to tell me what you are feeling, what wildfires are brewing in your heart, and what storms are starting to release thunderous bolts of lighting in your world.

peace,

Luke

Dreams

My computer seems to be having trouble today, so I don’t know for sure if I’ll post these words. It’s incredible how much the writer relies on computers these days, it’s essential to publishing anything. Lately I’ve been thinking about our dreams and how they relate to our happiness. For the last year and a half I’ve been pursuing my dream to become a full-time writer. I’ve been broke as hell for most of this time – and I’ve never been happier. I’m following my heart to my dreams.

As I’ve done this I’ve contemplated others I’ve interacted with, and who seems happy and who doesn’t. It doesn’t seem that money plays much of a factor in this, those that pursue what they love seem happier than those who don’t take risks to pursue their dreams. Granted there is a fine line somewhere there, we all need money to some extent, but it seems obvious when people are unhappy because they are afraid to take risks.

           

Dreams also need to come to fruition in order to manifest happiness. I’m not there yet. Every time I get a piece of writing published, it is a dream come true, but I’m far from where I want to be. Dreams take a lot of work, and I also believe they must be tested to see if we are really dedicated to them.

            

These days technology has made it easier for a writer to achieve her or his dreams. Self publishing can be a great compliment to the inevitable rejection from the traditional publishing world. It’s exciting to be a part of this revolution, and I feel my style of writing fits perfectly in this recreation of how we read and write. I should also add that having a handful of editors is essential to self publishing. Just because you can publish your own work doesn’t mean it is always the best thing to do right away as a young writer. Writers need someone else to weed out our mistakes.

In this meditation of dreams and dreaming I’m wondering what I’ll do today to not only dream, but to do something to firmly plant my seed of dreaming in the ground, so that it can grow. What will you do?

MUCH LOVE, no hate….Luke

Man on Wire, Following Dreams, Opportunities

Last night I finished the film, Man on Wire, about a Frenchman who wire-walked between the Twin Towers in New York City in 1976. It was a fascinating film, and there was a very uplifting tone to it. Phillipe Petit was a man who followed a dream, and achieved it. Those type of people inspire me.

Our world is full of people who follow dreams, yet ruled by those who live in fear. There are notable exceptions, but most people don’t realize their true divinity and potential.

I am not a writer who focuses on the negative, and that is not the intention of this piece. This piece is about following dreams. It occurred to me this morning that following your dreams is also about following opportunities that lead you to your dreams.

I have now lived in Durango, Colorado for one year. I have been reflecting on this because the paper I write for here, The Durango Telegraph, is going to have me write a piece tentatively titled, A Year of Dirtbagging in Durango. This is a dream come true to write something like this.

I came to Durango following a vision. I wanted to make a new start in life. My dream job at the college in Gunnison became a nightmare when I was given a boss, who was like the wicked witch of the west. So instead of living in fear after she cut my job to half-time, I resigned and looked to follow my heart where it would lead. I envisioned that I would make it on my own, finally write my first book, and publish The Climbing Zine as a career.

A year later I have finished my first book Climbing Out of Bed, and The Climbing Zine is building a format to become financially stable. We’re not there yet, and although there are moments of doubt and frustration, I am still following my dream. The reality is that although I have very little money, I am happier than I have ever been. That realization is enough for now, and I know I must continue to work hard to manifest the dreams, so they become reality.