A Change Of Seasons

As many of you know. I have a love for the Great Outdoors, everything in Nature, Photography, Hiking and the Mountains. I began my personal journey to live and work in the location and environment of the place I love and long to be about 7 years ago.

 My heart fell in love with the North Country of upstate New York in the high peaks of the Adirondacks.  


In September of this year, 2010 I finally achieved my quest after 2 1/2 years of trying to sell my house in Harrisburg, Pa. The journey was tough and many times it looked hopeless. I had many people trying to talk me out of moving and selling. Many tried to talk me out of giving up the job security that was seemingly in place after having served the same company for 15 years. 


People told me that it would be very hard to find work and that times are tough and living conditions are poor in the remote area's of the North Country.


 I had many offers of income and employment in an attempt to keep me from moving North. 


All the while my heart continued to cry out for the life I longed to live. To me, anything less than that would be a death sentence. 


 I was just crazy enough to believe that if I could hold the dream in my heart and mind, then I could achieve it. My motto has been to never give up, stay steady as the Tortoise. Steady wins the race. And it did. Today I am working full time in a job and environment that I absolutely love and I am looking to buy a home in the same location I work in Lake Placid, NY. 


As I reflected on all that has happened in my life over the past few years. I am mindful of how my season in life has changed over the course of the last 2 1/2 years after having put our home on the market and began pursuing the line of work that I am most alive and productive in. 


This analogy came to me one day as I was hiking and spending time in the wild. I observed that seasons in our personal journeys can so often parallel with the seasons in nature and in the wild.

In nature we can predict with accuracy, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. During these seasons we observe Winter as creating a cold and barren land. Life in the outside world for the most part is laying dormant. In many parts of the country the ground is frozen solid. Very little life is evident. In the animal kingdom, life is a struggle for survival. It is a battle of the fittest to find nutrition, water and comfort.


As the warm spring rains and the longer sunny days begin to return, the cycle of life starts all over again. We observe Spring bringing new birth, warmth and nourishing rain.

Buds are beginning to form on the tree's. The flowers begin pushing up through the forest floor after having lain dormant all winter. The Ferns are folding up through the dirt floor to fan out and create a beauty and splendor all of their own. Together they naturally form gardens of beauty and awe that only God himself could arrange.

In Summer we see growth, warmth, rain, developing crops, and playfulness amongst animals and humans alike. The animal kingdom is busy. Now there is new life among them. They are teaching their young how to survive and how to store up and prepare for the winter ahead. Crops are plentiful, vegetation is lush. Life is good and the bounty is great. Bears (and myself) are gorging themselves on wild berries to fatten up for the long winter hibernation ahead. Beavers are repairing dams and securing their homes. Life is a training grounds for the mature to teach their young how to live and survive the seasons of life.
In so many ways the animal kingdom seems to have it more right than we humans do.


As fall approaches, the days get shorter, the temperature begins to drop and the leaves begin to turn many shades of color from crescent Reds to Amber Oranges and Bright Yellows.

In fall we observe reaping of the harvest that had begun it's growth in the spring. 
The squirrels are storing up nuts and seeds in preparation for the winter. The deer are filling up on fruits and nuts that have fallen to the forest floor. They too are fattening up in preparation of the impending winter to stay warm and survive off their fat reserves if needed. Life in the forest is busy all around us in preparation for the change of seasons.


 Nowhere in nature will you ever see wildlife laying around hoping everything will be in place for them in the change of seasons. Those that may have, I assure you did not survive. A change in the seasons requires action and preparation.


This week as I drove with my family to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for our annual vacation. I was pondering this predictability of the seasons of the calendar year and mindful that the seasons in our life are not always so predictable. I was seeking understanding in my spirit of what we can learn from Nature, Gods Creation and how the Universe operates to better understand the Seasons in our life.

 I left Keene Valley, NY on Friday morning where it had just started snowing and was 36 degree's, the leaves are pretty much off the tree's and winter is setting in. I arrived in Harrisburg, Pa. that night where the leaves are just entering their prime and Temperatures are moderate in the 60's. 


 Sat day morning we left bright and early from Harrisburg to arrive in the Outer Banks of North Carolina by 2 pm.

 As I write, I'm currently sitting on a remote beach, overlooking the ocean in only a pair of shorts. (I'll save those photo's for a special occasion :)
 The temperature is a very comfortable 75 degree's.

The Outer Banks have some of the most incredible sun rises that you will ever find. Every morning as I sit out on the deck overlooking the ocean with my morning cup of coffee, I see the Pelicans begin their day by diving head first at neck breaking speed, straight into the water to get their morning fish.  Sailboats are sailing out to sea to enjoy a day of fun and relaxation. Fishermen are arriving on the shoreline bright and early in hopes of catching the biggest fish of their life.


 Oh I say, Life Is So Good. I am mindful that Life can be good because of choices we can make and actions we can take to change our current season.


 Hmmm, WOW!!!! As I think about it, In two short days my season has totally changed.


Actually my season changed because of choices I made two months ago to book and pay for our vacation and actions I took two days ago to pack up and head in the direction I needed to go to get here. My season changed on the outside in two short days, from winter to late summer. On the inside, it was a process of events that had to take place over a period of time to make this possible. 

I wonder, how many problems we could have solved or how many situations we could have avoided if only we had taken the action necessary to change the season that we are in or to make the decisions we could have made in the beginning?

I believe that some seasons in our personal lives are God ordained as are the predictable seasons in nature. The control of these seasons is not in our hands and they are going to happen whether we agree with Him or not.

Other seasons in our lives can be controlled by choices we make. So often we fail to realize the power that is within each of us to bring about the change in our lives that we so long for and desire. Changes that up until this point have only been a dream.


I know from personal experience that seasons in our lives can be changed by the decisions we make and the actions we take. I know this to be true and accurate. It usually is not easy and the going can be tough, but the rewards of being able to live a dream are out of this world. Not only will it change your season of life on the outside, but it will also change the season of your stinking thinking for the rest of your life. You will never be the same person again. 
I promise you.


What if we were to ask ourself these questions ?


What if I had the power within me to do anything I've ever wanted to do?


What is one thing I have always longed for and have never had the courage or belief that I could go for?


What if the longings and desires of my heart were placed there by God Himself to lead me and guide me to my destiny? (What I was created to do?)


What would it take for me to get started in that direction?



William James suggested that, compared to what we ought
to be, we are making use of only a small part of our physical and mental
resources. Stating this concept broadly, the human individual thus lives far within 

his limits. He possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use.

Thomas Edison said, and I quote, “If we all did the things we are
capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”

I leave you today with a blessing,

 May you find all of the seasons in your life to be full. May you reap the bounty of that which you have sown in the spring and may you live as you have never lived before.

Wesley Schock

The Hornets In Life.

Today was a most beautiful day. I chose today for a much needed hike on the Appalachian trail on Peters Mountain up near Halifax, Pa. The temperature was in the mid 60's when I headed up at 6:30 am. The sky was blue and humidity was low. Ahhh, picture perfect day for a good hike.

I grabbed my backpack and filled a water jug. I mixed up a little homemade trail mix for nutrition and energy and headed out to my best adventure buddy. My recently acquired and greatly appreciated 1991 Jeep Wrangler Sahara. What a beautiful day it was. I rolled down the windows and enjoyed the cool crisp air of the early morning as I made my trek up the mountain to one of my favorite hiking spots. When I arrived there was only one other car in the parking lot. "Yes", was my first thought. This is good. I can head in to nature with no other sounds or beings except myself and Gods creation. I need this time.

I hit the trail this morning with great hopes and expectations on really digging deep inside myself to ask those questions that we all need to ask ourselves from time to time. I had recently been reminded through books I have been studying and by a good friend that it is wise to stop along the journey of life on occasion and ask ourself the most important questions in life.

You see, I have been working for a year now (In whatever spare time I can seem to find) to develop my own internet marketing business all the while working a very full time job. I have a training course that is very detail oriented and when completed is said to be equal to getting your Master in Business Association. I am entrepreneurial minded and long to have the freedom to work for myself as well as have the time to spend in the beauty of nature and help others along the way. This is very exciting and liberating to me.

The questions I posed this morning as I entered the woods on the Appalachian Trail are as follows:

1. Other than having more time and freedom, "Why," am I pursuing the Internet Marketing business?

2. Why do I feel I need to be free?

3. What am I created to do on this earth that will fill a need that only I can fill?

As I looked out across the valley I recognized that not only was I above the valley below, but I was above the clouds. I suddenly had a feeling that I was very high up in nature, almost like a closer to God feeling. I thought to myself, you know, this is where the answers are. We need to come to the mountain, the higher place to seek our answers in life. God knows. We need to be still and know and listen to that still small voice in our hearts.

After hiking for about 50 minutes I came to another overlook that again reminded me of the power and beauty of nature. I have found that the beauty and dangers of a trek in nature so parallel with our journey of life. We can be walking along totally immersed in the awe and the beauty around us yet danger is lurking only a few feet away. We have choices to make. Are we going to live in fear and not leave the house because we might get hurt? Or, will we choose to enjoy life and prepare out minds and bodies to be strong and fit and go out and enjoy life, go out and do what we are called to do.  Entering nature is so much like entering the journey of life. There are so many unknowns. Do we have a plan where we want to go? Are we preparing our minds and bodies to be strong and fit with proper nutrition, exercise, and spiritual food? Are we choosing life or will we choose fear,defeat and just give up?

This is my special place I like to go when I need to get out and be still. I have a huge cliff type structure that I sit on with my feet over the edge. I call this processor rock. The location is private, off the trail a bit and no one knows you're there.

I received many answers to my questions as I sat here this morning. I journaled four pages of inspiration. This blog came out of this mornings time in nature and I will continue to share the lessons I have learned and continue to learn. My desire is to bring hope and encouragement to all who are hungry.

I ended my quiet time much sooner than usual today because I had answers immediately and I was excited to get home and pursue the longings and desires of my heart with passion and purpose.

As I headed back, I was once again struck by the awe and beauty all around me. The day was perfect. The temperature was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

If you look closely you will see that this is a nice sized cobweb right at the edge of the trail. Right in the very center of the picture is a spider. I was mindful of my trek in to the woods a few hours earlier when I was constantly plowing through cobwebs. My thought at that time was, "This is a good sign. This means that no one has gone before me." Sometimes our journey in life is very much like that. We are challenged to go where no one has gone before. Will we go for it and plow through the cobwebs or will we go back to our car and go home, only to miss the real adventure that was through the cobwebs of the unknown?

As I took this picture I received a great revelation. It came like this.

"It is essential that one go before his followers to clear the cobwebs."

Think about this. If you are called to be a leader, then be prepared to clear some cobwebs. If you find yourself clearing a lot of cobwebs but don't feel you're a leader. Think again.
You have experiences in life that others can learn from. Ask yourself the question: "What am I created to do on this earth that will fill a need that only I can fill?" Anybody can learn something from everyone.

 

And now the real surprise on my trek back to my car. A real hornets nest that was alive and functioning well. I had walked past it earlier in the morning. I did not know it was there, I had no apprehensions or fear of it. I was having a beautiful journey through nature, deep in thought, loving the cool crisp mountain air and was not hindered by a thing.

Now on the way back, as soon as I saw the nest, I stopped dead in my tracks. Whoa!!!!!! LOOK AT THAT!!!!!

Those two holes at the bottom? There was a steady stream of hornets coming and going.
 I walked up close enough with my blackberry to get this picture without zooming the lens. I knew that as long as I didn't inflict fear or danger to them they would accept my presence. I also knew that I needed to respect them and as soon as I got the picture I had to back off.

I stepped back a few steps and I stood and watched this nest for quite some time. I thought that for the size of this nest, it has been up for a while. I walked by a couple weeks earlier and had not even seen it. It was cool and rainy that day so I was probably walking with my head down at that point, I'm not sure.  I wondered how many people have walked past it and didn't know it. I wondered how many people have seen it, and of those people, how many respected it and walked around or how many were struck with fear and refused to go past it and went back home?

On the journey of life. We can be strolling along with great passion and purpose. Life is good, life is beautiful. Heres what I want to do with my life and this is the path I feel I need to take to get there. My passions and longings are to do this in life and all I have to do is take this journey to get there. How many times have you been to that place in life only to run in to the hornets nest of naysayers who tell you you're crazy. That's not the way things are done. You're making a huge mistake. You're not smart enough, you're not coordinated enough, you didn't go to college, there is no way that you can do that. No one's ever done that before, it can't be done or there is a reason no one else is doing that.

 How many of these have you heard? How many of you have given up on your hopes and dreams in life because you believed what others have spoken into your spirit? I did. Over and over and over. Not any more.

I have turned 50 this year and I am determined that the hornets in my life no longer have control of me. I fully intend to make the next 50years, the best years of my life. I refuse to be the little old man in the nursing home one day who is sitting there with a tear in his eye thinking of all the opportunities he had in life to live and experience life to the fullest, yet for one reason or another he didn't pursue it.

Will you join me on the journey? I am excited to share my journey and what I have learned and am learning.
I want this to be a tool of encouragement and beauty for each of us as I have the privilege and the opportunity to go out and bring you back a piece of nature and the beauty that is all around us to see what we can learn from it. I am mindful that so many people are not able to get out and go to the places I go. It would be my greatest honor to bring that to you. God created the beauty and danger of nature for our food and enjoyment. He saw that it was good. We are created in His image. We too can have opportunity to see and experience that it is good. I welcome your comments and insight. We all have something we can learn from you too.
Be blessed.