One Year Later

When I started this blog a a year ago, I had a vague idea of what I wanted to say.  There was something inside of me that just had to come out and a blog felt like the appropriate way to get these things out.  So what started out as “I have to write” type of project sort of turned into a “I get to write” project.  This last year I was able to write confessional blog and get out a lot of what I had spent years processing.

By The Numbers

I can’t believe how much I actually wrote!  I had written 34 blogs and published 32 of them.  I have another 10 ideas that weren’t fully formed yet, so didn’t really go anywhere, at least not yet. Now, I do realize that my writing has slowed down a bit and I’m ok with that, as long as the content I write is honest and meaningful to me and hopefully to you as well.  My top post, unsurprisingly, was my interview with my wife and the story of 7 Sisters Salon.  Second place goes to my story on Divorcing God and Starting Over.  Generally, more people read my more recent blogs than my earlier ones, but a strange anomaly is my most embarrassing moment which apparently ranks high somewhere in google for something.  Anyway, I’m boring myself now with these numbers.

My Promise To You

In my first post I said I made a promise to you, my reader.  This promise one that I want to continue to uphold, and the invitation still stands.

Your reading of my words means a lot to me, and I wish to treat your time and attention with respect.  So I make you these promises.  I will be honest with my thoughts, open with my stories, and vulnerable with my feelings.

So here we go.  My name is Tony and I am an imperfect man.  I’m learning as I go and I am positive that I can learn more and go farther if only you could go with me, even if only for a moment.  I invite you to join me.

Honesty.  Openness.  Vulnerability.  These, at times, have not been easy.  In fact, there are some stories that I’ve wanted to tell to you, but I have had to hold myself back, because I haven’t found a way to be completely open and honest.  Maybe it’s fear of judgement, maybe it’s something else,  I don’t know.  I’m still processing lots of things and maybe it’s just that I’m not done processing those stories quite yet.

One thing I have processed more this year is what The All Around Life means.

The All Around Life

Here is what The All Around Life meant to me last year.  The All Around Life was a life lived through all seasons, the highs and lows, and sometimes the in betweens.  It was a life lived with greater meaning and purpose, unashamed of the reality of what can bring us.  While all of these things hold true still, I’ve discovered greater detail and clarity of the All Around Life after talking with many of you.

In the bible in the book of John, he tells a story of Jesus preaching to the people where he says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  Here is my proposition.  What if the fullness of life is not simply more of the same, but rather a fullness of opportunity to be all that we were created to be?

For me, lots of shallow happiness ends up feeling empty, but a life of purpose lived through whatever circumstance may come my way ends up feeling deeply satisfying.  It’s a life of surrender where I give up on trying to control the things that are beyond my control.  I don’t seek out pain on purpose, but I don’t shy away from doing hard things even if I know the result will be pain.  If something is going to hurt, I let it hurt, and then I let that hurt do it’s good work in me.  If something is happy, I let it the joy bring gladness to my heart without guilt.

My Invitation

I believe that we were made to be molded and that the journey counts.  What this means is that “life to the full” is as much about the trip as it is about the destination.  My invitation, again, is quite similar to my original invitation.  Since we aren’t quite yet at our destination, and the road ahead is uncertain, would you join me in living an All Around Life by sharing your story as I share mine?  Maybe we could learn from one another through sharing our experiences along the way.

Got a story to share?

Drop me a comment below.