Emergence

 At the edge of eternity, the foliage around you fades. Like knives, the sun's rays take a stab at your corneas, relishing in the opportunity to find you isolated in your newly-nude surroundings. You adjust in time, your hand a makeshift visor over your warming forehead. With nary a nudge nor noise, you drink it all in: the clearing of the wood.

In this life, we've but a precious few moments where we can confidently say, with feet firmly planted, "I was transformed". The unfortunate curse of this existence is that we're quite certain of our own adaptability--of that personal phenomenon of emerging from the chrysalis. In reality, we are stubborn things. All too often we awaken to find ourselves handcuffed to the table by the toils of our past. 

And why not? 

The past is familiar. The past is what you can look back at and laugh, shrugging it off and placing it aside like a weary jacket in May. The past is an accolade, the reassurance that, if you've done it before, you can do it again. And, in certain circumstances, this has the potential propel you to new heights. In my experience, however, it can also land you flat on your face (and dirt is never appetizing).

Amongst other things, this blog is an opportunity for me to exhibit exploration into new territory, to wander away from the wood of my youth and discover, freely, what the world has to offer. Free of fear, free to choose, free to see... 

The Forest Clearing 

My name is Devin, and the point of this blog is to leave behind a small trail of breadcrumbs in what I affectionately refer to as my "second life".

Born and raised in the United States, I spent the majority of my youth in rural America, basking in silence and all things natural. My town didn't have a McDonald's, and my high school was in a cornfield. I didn't have internet until I was 13 (2011, for context), and download speed was capped at a megabyte per second. I was so sheltered and isolated that I probably made the local white-tailed deer jealous. Welcome to Pennsylvania, kids. 

In a twist of fate, I now find myself in Belgium, living peacefully (so to speak) with my lovely wife and four cats. They're my second life, and I would love nothing more than to have a long and bright future with them all. They're that torch when all other lights go out. 

This blog is more or less a way for me to write freely about my life--be it interests, musings, projects, or streams of consciousness-- in a refined-yet-loose manner. 

I thank all who take the time to join me on this journey. It is my hope that, somewhere along the way, I can inspire others who cling to the trees of lost time to take one small step closer to emerging somewhere they never thought possible. 

See you there! 

-Devin