Pioneering Spirit
All my life I viewed The Gateway Arch in St. Louis as the “gateway to the west” without ever researching what the largest monument in the western hemisphere stood to represent.
To someone who spent all his time on the east coast, every time I viewed a picture of the monument, all I could ever imagen was the day I would stand on the west side and view my life in a new way.
When I captured this picture my gut feeling was right, my life was different from how it started when I reached the other side.
Come to find out the monument represents the pioneering spirit; a willingness to endure hardship to explore unfamiliar places and try new things.
Now it all makes sense. The journey towards this moment was my own version of the pioneering spirit, enduring hardships, exploring unfamiliar places, and trying new things.
Years before we would reach the arch, Rebecca and I set out to travel and find ourselves. As we navigated the east coast, I came across a motto that brought me comfort even if nothing made sense:
Not all who wander are lost.
My message is to the wanderers, dreamers, and everyone who has ever felt out of place in a world that seems different, I would like to share that you are not alone. Not everyone is destined to stay put in places that do not allow you to grow and once you get a glimpse of finding yourself; it is like opening a flood gate that can never be closed.
By staying true to yourself and keeping your pioneering spirit, it can lead you to people and places that you always dreamed about, even if you never understood why.
ONE Love john
