I have many words ahead, but to start it off… Today I went for a nice hike in Devil’s Gulch with a friend. It was nice and peaceful to be out enjoying nature for a few hours catching up. I know that both connection with other humans and nature are super important for healthy mind and body, so if you’ve been isolating for awhile. Please call a friend, get outside with them and take some time to decompress.

Anyway, after our 4 mile hike we arrived back to the trailhead parking. There were 8 vehicles parked in total including ours, and we soon noticed that my front left wheel had a porcelain figurine of two owls perched on a log. We were slightly thrown off and confused by this, wondering if it was there the entire time and I had just barely missed it when backing into the spot, or if somebody had placed it there. But then we noticed another sitting on the windshield of the car next to mine. Then we were curious if she got one as well. Lo and behold there was indeed a cute little owl figurine with a flower crown placed next to her door.

We looked around some more and found that each of the 8 vehicles had been gifted their own unique owl sculpture. We thought more about it and it began to make a bit more sense. It seemed to simply be a nice gesture by a local to the area. We felt they wanted to show an act of kindness to a stranger in a time of turmoil and uncertainty among the nation.

She asked me if I was going to keep mine. While I’m not one who usually holds on to nick-knacks or items that don’t really have a purpose. I said “yes, it’s a memory.” She agreed. We eventually hugged goodbye and parted ways after a nice hike and a one of a kind moment, created by someone who will forever remain a mystery. I made a couple of stops to see family before coming home, telling them about it and showing them the owl figurine I was given. I can’t help but wonder how many more porcelain owls this person owns. Once I got home, I decided to do a bit of research on the meaning of an owl sighting, or the owl itself. Before I get into that, I’d like to say this: I usually feel it’s good to give meaning to certain things that happen. I believe it’s important that events in our life have some sort of significance, as every action we take certainly effects the following actions, as wells as the actions of those who witness them. To be retrospective at times can be beneficial for taking the correct direction in life. Like a fortune cookie for example; if you crack open a fortune you can get by, you’re gonna keep that shit in your wallet in hopes that you can manifest something out of it.

I also just think it’s mildly amusing in a sense to give meaning to unique happenings like this. Life can be mundane, there are thoughts that fill our heads at times that have no place or time, yet it’s important to amuse our mind and give meaning where applicable. There is certainly a lot of suffering throughout life, so we might as well add some amusement where we can, and that’s not to say we should be consuming media all the time.

To begin with the owl’s meaning, in Japan (since that’s where mine was made) the owl signifies luck and protection from suffering and hardship. It also looks like they are connected with wisdom of the soul. Other sources say the owl’s message is to “open your eyes, to see past illusions, face your fears, tap into your intuition, look beyond the veil.” …”Face the shadows.” Yada yada, all great stuff of course.

There are a couple of other significant parts that I read in addition to these. They resonated with me, so I think I’ll share them and move on with my next points. The first is “You’re likely to see what’s usually hidden to most.” Okay, that’s nice… The second is “Association with the need to retreat from the world… look inside ourselves for that answers that we seek.” Alright, I like that one too. So since I’m largely an introspective/introverted person already, and I do tend to be super observant of what’s going on around me, I can get with these meanings. They resonate with me and how life is presently unfolding. It’s also generally easier for me to write a bunch rather than speak a bunch… even more-so for the past few months. To add on that, I aim to communicate and express myself through the art that I share to some extent. My goal has been to bring people some form of joy, or to stop and think for a minute.

Yet with that comes unhealthy expectations, or the need for approval. I think many people who post on social media may be able to relate to this. While not intended initially, it can happen especially with somebody who aims to be a positive influence in their community. They like to see the results of their efforts in real time… We share our lives because maybe we want others to see our lives in a particular way. For example, me being an artist and mainly posting photographs that I take. Yes I want to show you guys the beauty in the perspective I see, and I hope for you to take it upon yourself to see the world in a relatable kind of way as you go about your life. To appreciate the little things that we usually take for granted.
But that’s beside the point. There’s a ton of shit we take for granted in the present day. There are countless things I can list, though there a couple of things that replace general appreciation on a day to day basis, namely our phones and television sets. They are constant distractions from what is going on (and what’s not going on) all around.

Social media specifically amplifies actions and their consequences. It always has and always will more and more, as an increased number of people feel the need to chime in. That’s why it can be so dangerous and result in unintended consequences, like possibly ruining a person’s life. This has happened many times, as something can be taken out of context, posted, shared and re-shared thousands of times until a splice of a moment of bad light.

Yes there is so much good in the world that goes unheard and unseen, because people thrive off the bad. It seems people don’t generally record the good shit. They go straight to their phone camera when they see something bad happen, which is fine, but then it goes to social media and spreads like wildfire. Many are so quick to see something and feel the need to plaster it everywhere, shoving it into unsuspecting faces. Sure I love a good thunderstorm and it’s pretty cool to see some for of destruction so long as lives aren’t being harmed. But the fact the matter is everybody wants to be heard; to share their malformed opinion on the matter. And this leads to arguments upon arguments. People becoming upset over a little video, then, large amounts people who are bored and have had it “up to here” will get gather and mobilize. One person will throw a stone to a window and you know the story from there.

This is where it gets more difficult to know what to say. I have seen a lot; I know parts of the whole story. There’s so much that has been developing this year, We keep getting both sides of the “truth” and it really is not easy to know how to feel about anything. It all happens so quickly. I get why people are angry. I am still processing just as I’m I get that people want justice; to find a solution to these problems that have been present on earth since the dawn of fucking time. Tribes vs. tribes, species vs. species, race vs. race, etc. We’ve come a long way and way and we have a long way to go. There is no “right” way to go about anything; there is a only “a way,” as every single person has their own damn universe inside the head. One leader will take us one way, and visa versa.

Everybody raised differently, told differently by those who raised them, seen different acts take place in their neighborhoods or on the television. It is not easy controlling what makes it into somebodies subconscious. People will grow up with preconceived notions in life that are tough to shake if they aren’t actively attempting do so. Many people will live out their entire life a certain way if they won’t have the benefit of an onlooker or friend pointing out to them such flaws in their character.

I feel like I should add that my childhood best friend was black and I never thought about that for even a second. Yet when I first moved to Chicago for college; leaving Vermont for the first time to live in a multi-racial city, I felt a little uneasy at times. Maybe it’s because of how people were portrayed in movies that I’d seen growing up, maybe it’s because I had only before encountered Vermonters like me, and witnessing people who acted differently than that happened to throw me off guard. Maybe it’s because I grew up and learned about what went on with slavery and that caused me to think differently. To put it bluntly, the human experiences is fucking complicated and sometimes we don’t know what the reasons are for why we think the way we think.

I have nothing against anyone unless I see them commit an atrocious act. And even then I wish for them to be able to turn their life around and make well-intended decisions moving forward. Nobody is perfect and most everybody will damn right do something shitty in their lifetime, whether it’s a regretful, accidental, unintended, or blatantly purposeful. It’s also a matter of whether they are caught doing it or not. There is an ability to learn from wrong-doing, sure. And maybe their are other solutions, but I won’t speculate.

But one thing I do know, is all of this “wrong learning” begins in childhood. I don’t claim to know exactly how it happens, but my guess would be that is a combination of a few things, and these are based off from what I’ve already said; the way in which the media (both news and entertainment) portrays society. Another would be ignorance, that is not being accustomed to being in contact with other types of people, and hearing stereotypes that become ingrained in our subconscious. I can think of many stereotypes that I heard growing up. I heard these from my peers who likely heard them from the parents.

There’s more to it but I’m not an expert on anything. I don’t claim to know shit. I just feel a tiny bit like I should speak up before I retreat from the world because as I “heard” from the owl, I’m supposedly likely to see what’s usually hidden to most and I am to look inside myself for that answers that I seek.

I don’t know where the nation or the world is headed. Much of the time I choose to remain silent, as I know everybody has their own experience based opinions and there’s no sense in adding another little spark to a raging fire. It’s usually best to just keep your mouth shut and do good where you can. Sure there is a place for it, but honestly I really don’t know. That’s why I mainly make art and go for hikes. I do my best do be kind to others no matter who they are. I try to put a smile on peoples’ faces when I can. These kinds of things are free to give.

All I can really say is that there are a couple routes to take; love or violence. Love as in raising the next generation. Not imposing ideas on them (consciously or subconsciously), encouraging diversity amongst their friends. Traveling to different areas, states, countries to embrace other cultures. There is so much that can positively and easily done to help grow children into loving humans who don’t judge others. I’m not saying it’s a simple solution and certainly there’s more to it. Are we waiting for somebody lock up all 4 police officers, or to say “racial inequality has been abolished”? There are many things I don’t understand and maybe don’t understand, so please forgive my ignorance.

On the other hand, I really don’t believe that continued violence will cure racial inequities in any way. And I’m not saying the people causing violence believe this is the way. All I really know is a man was killed, the people fucking angry and want justice, they want this kind of thing to never happen again. The thing is, neither side is likely to step down, it will only escalate until who knows what.

Love your neighbor, love your children. Stop and think for a minute. Is it worth it? What will the consequences be? Why am I thinking in this way? How will this affect others? What can I do to help?

Black. Lives. Matter. All. Lives. Matter. We are all humans living on the same rock… flying in circles through space.

Pursue Passion. Seek Nature. Manifest Light.