Revelations

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

      -J.R.R. Tolkien

Many will see this poem and think that this is going to be all about the Lord of the Rings. Hardly so. This poem has been a favorite of mine for many years. Early on I am sure that I didn't realize the importance of the poem other than to enjoy it's complex simpleness. It is beautiful and at its utmost basic level has always resonated with me. Now many years and many miles later, I am starting to see this poem as much more than that. 

To understand the way I see this poem one needs to have a quick background of me. I am a thirty-something married attorney. I am the oldest of four kids and grew up living they typical American Dream. Growing up I always had many friends, but was never really one of the "popular" kids, which was fine by me, mostly. College was some of the best years of my life and I would not give up those experiences for anything. I went to law school right before the most recent market failure, graduating right about the time that the first real red flags started waving. I spent several years struggling to figure out what to do for a job since the legal marketplace pretty much collapsed in on itself. Eventually, I made the brave decision to go out on my own and start a solo practice. Three years later here I am. I practice in what may be the most misunderstood area of law - at least from my vantage point - Social Security Disability. I love what I do and enjoy most of the people that I have the privilege of interacting with on a daily basis. These people have taught me a lot about myself and a lot about how the world truly operates. And in turn, I have become much more introspective. 

All that introspection has really started to boil down to one sentiment - Not everything is what it may seem to be and everyone has some ability to make things look how they want them to look. Now before everyone jumps down my throat and says "that is so not true, there are many things in life that you can't change no matter how hard you try..." - I know. Just hear me out. What I am talking about is the fact that everyone is their own spin doctor so to speak. I could be going through the worst time I have ever experienced in my life, but yet I have the ability to face the world with a smile and show my strength. I also have the ability to melt down and take a "woe is me" outlook on my situation. It really is all in how I CHOOSE to respond to such a situation. I am starting to learn that you can apply this thought to just about anything in life. In doing so I have started to question mainstream America and really look at what its role in my life should be. 

There have been so many different things that I have started to take a good look at recently that I figured I should probably write some of this down somewhere. Why not in a blog where others might gain some insight into something. Perhaps I inspire just one person to start questioning the things in life we have always taken as a given. If I help just one person then writing this is all worth it. 

I have given great thought to how I want this blog to look. I have considered just writing a diary of sorts, but realized that that is too raw for me and probably not as interesting as I think it may be. I have also considered just writing entries on one subject and then moving on. However, as I go forward in life my thoughts are always changing and refining themselves on any particular topic so this format wouldn't really work for me either. I think the happy medium will be something in between. I am sure it will be an evolving style, but it will be true to my thoughts and hopefully interesting and informative. 

Welcome to this blog and this crazy journey I call life.