The Northern 📍

  R.I.P. Johnny & Matthew Gaudreau      Absolutely heartbreaking news to wake up to. To learn that two brothers, two athletes, two stand-up individuals, killed by a drunk driver. The words themselves almost don’t ring true as I write them. Something so hard to even believe, that it causes me pain just to say out loud. An absolute tragedy, in every sense of the word.        Sudden death like this is such a difficult event to truly understand. It is so far-out and uncommon, that the very thought of it takes a while to truly seep in. The constant denial of learning about it, not truly believing what we see. How just yesterday, things were no different- only to wake up today and find that the world has changed.      It’s a weird thing, learning about the deaths of two athletes. For starters- I never personally knew the two brothers. However, the real sense of tragedy is the connection we all shared. The tight-knit community that we ...

  I Am Afraid.      It pains me to say those words. It pains me to sit here, and admit something I’ve known deep down inside, for some time now. It pains me to finally open up and feel what it is that I’ve been trying to hide for so long now. The fear consumes me, as it slowly spreads across my chest. The uneasy feeling of being trapped, like a rat in a cage, rolls over my every senses. The confirmation of what I’ve known, for many, many weeks now. I am afraid.      Things have changed, drastically. I suppose that is the way of the world. Only a fool expects things to remain the same. Planning life, as if the world does not constantly turn and evolve into whatever it is we are becoming. No, I understand that part. I understand that things must evolve, in order to become whatever it is we are building to be. However, what had happened in the recent years, is too much to handle. What has become evident, is something out of a dark nightmare. What we are c...

  Church.      One thing about church that always stood out to me was the community it formed. Not the sermons, not the worship. Not even the tall, incredible building and its amazing art within (Alright, I admit, that part did stand out to me a little bit). No, the one thing that stood out the most was the community that was formed within.      The idea that all men and women alike, both rich and poor, successful and unsuccessful, could show up together at the same spot and worship the same values, seems incredible. The very idea that these individuals are gathered together at the same place, at the same time, over and over, is an extraordinary task. Most individuals do not make time for anything close to such tasks, yet for church, they always seem to find a way.      Worship has been a primal human factor since we began recording history. Every single man in the world has a desire to give thanks to something or someone above them, to ...

  Fight or Flight.      At the end of the day, your life boils down to two things: Fight or Flight.      Every decision you make, rests between the two. Fight for what it is you believe in, fight for what it is you want. Or flight from what is bothering you, what is holding you back from winning. Every single individual has a choice to make, when it comes to every single aspect of their lives. The decision lies solely in your own hands. You become solely responsible for your own life.      Fighting can be difficult. It can be draining, dark, and demanding. The battles we face become all-consuming, weighing heavily upon our consciousness. However, there comes a time in ones life where you realize that fighting is all that is left. That fighting for what you believe in, is not only proper- it’s necessary. Violence is never the answer, unless sometimes it is.      Flight is nothing more than a habit. A learned habit, that one...