The Beginning of an Adventure

So, it’s been awhile since I have written anything on the blog. I am currently in North Carolina, traveling with Steve an old friend of my parents, and Jared who is a friend of Steve’s. I’ll be writing about what I have been doing over the coming days. At the end of each day I am hoping to write something about the day’s events. So in the words of the Doctor “Geronimo!”
-Roland K

Gone, Gone, Gone

Life has been crazy for the past couple of weeks. I have been working crazy long hours at the ranch. My work hours are going to continue to be crazy for the about the next three weeks or so. When I have been home I’ve been busy with personal stuff. Hence why I haven’t posted anything for the past couple of weeks.
Also I’ve been working with a friend of mine on a project. I’ll be sharing more details about it in the coming weeks. Along with a formal announcement when the project is ready to be shared with the world.

Any way here’s a music video for your viewing pleasure.

-Roland K

Uncharted

In about two hours I am going to be at a One Republic concert. Now you might be wondering what the music video for Uncharted has to do with a One Republic concert. Well, two things actually. First, Sara Bareilles is playing with One Republic. The second thing is that metaphorically speaking I am standing at the edge of a cliff and it’s time to take a leap of faith. I have no idea what the future will hold it’s Uncharted and it’s time to throw logic out the window. So here goes nothing, CANNONBALL!!!

-Roland K

 

The Paper Bag Theory

A couple of weeks ago I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about meeting/finding/attracting the “right” guy. During the course of the conversation she said that she was going to go stick her head in a paper bag and see what would happen. Now my friend did not literally stick her head in a paper bag. What she meant by her statement is that she wasn’t going to worry about trying to find the “right” guy.
Instead she was just going to be herself and not try to be someone, that she is not just to attract a guy. My friend ended up calling her idea “The paper bag theory.” In short the paper bag theory is this. You will be yourself and not worry about attracting a member of the opposite sex.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now, you might be thinking to yourself that would never work. Well here’s some food for thought. Do you want someone to be attracted to the front that you put up to try to attract someone? Or do you want them to be attracted to the really you? Any kind of relationship won’t last if it’s built on false hood. It will eventually wither and die.

In a previous post I wrote about the masks we wear. In it I talked about reasons for why we wear masks and I posed the question “what would happen if we stopped wearing masks and showed each other our true self’s?” Since I wrote that post I have been trying to live without any masks. Some times I succeed and other times I fail miserably. In doing so I have found a sense of freedom and liberty that I never had before. I am not trying to please any one and I don’t have to hide behind masks and false fronts. Because I’m being myself and not who other people think I am. I’m more confidant in myself and my abilities both as a person and as a leader in my church young adult group.

If you’re stressing out and worrying about finding that “right” guy or girl. Why don’t you give the paper bag theory a shot. Who knows you might be surprised by the results. So, what happened with my friend, and did her paper bag theory work? Well, I think I’ll save the answer to that question for a future date.

-Roland K

Flash Flood

Hey, everybody quick update. On Sunday  we got about an inch if rain in about ten minutes at the ranch and it caused several flash floods across the ranch. On top of that it also hailed during the same storm that caused the flash floods. So Monday me and my dad drove to the ranch to see how bad it was.

Thankfully the damage from the flash floods was minor. It basically moved a bunch of dirt from the hills into the fields next to said hills. The field that was hit the worst by was a field that we just planted a couple of weeks ago.
However the worst damage was caused by the hail. It shredded the alfalfa that we were about to harvest in a couple of weeks. One of the neighbors who has lived in the area for sixteen years told me and my dad that he has never seen a storm like the one that happened on Sunday.

While everything was and is a mess. It’s been cool to see my dad’s response through it all. His response to the flash floods was “what happened, happened. Time to cleanup and move on.” Instead of focussing on all of the damage. He broke the problems into more manageable pieces. For example, there’s a lot of debris in the fields. So instead of picking everything up all at once we’re going to pick up the debris in stages. First the bigger tree branches and chunks of wood, then the rocks, finally the piles of mud. My dad has also been working on how to prevent it from doing as much damage next time something like this happens. Even if it’s twenty years from now.

The reason I share all of this. Is because if you’re facing a problem or a disaster in your life. I encourage you to take a step back, get some perspective and then break the problem into smaller pieces. The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

-Roland K

P.S I’ll be updating this post with pictures when I get home.

A Strange Week

This week has been a strange week. There are moments in our lives when we experience a turning point. It’s when something happens that we didn’t expect, and for good or for ill we cannot go back to way it was before, no matter how much we want to go back. I experienced such a turning point this week. It was rather unexpected, and has left me questioning what I want from life. Not in a bad way, but it has made me think about what is important in life.

(Photo credit: nexus6)

Something that I have come to realize this past week is that when opportunity knocks I tend to talk myself out of it. I look for reasons why I shouldn’t follow through with the opportunity. While there’s nothing wrong with coming up with a list of reasons against something. It becomes problematic when the only arguments being used are straw men. The main reason I try to talk myself down even when my arguments can’t hold water is because I want control. I want to know where all of the variables are before I make a move.

Going back to the turning point I mentioned at the beginning. There’s been a lot of back and forth going on in my head as I try to wrap my mind around what has happened this last week. While there are still some reservations on my part I am excited to see where I am going to end up.

So if you’re wondering what this turning point is, you’re going to have to wait patiently. Over the coming weeks I will be posting hints. Sometimes they will be obvious and other times not so much. I’ll start things off with an obvious hint. It’s not my trip to North Carolina. Don’t worry I will be posting more details on my trip in the coming weeks. I am really excited to travel to NC and its going to be an adventure.

-Roland K

Alive and Well

As so very often happens in life, things come that are sometimes expected and other times not so much. For those of you wondering I am still alive and well. I’ve been busy working at my family’s ranch, so I haven’t had time to write or post anything. It’s been a crazy week and a half. I’ll be sharing the details with you over the next couple of weeks. But until then keep on living life to fullest.
-Roland K

Back to Work

Hey everybody, just a quick update. I am working at my parents ranch for the rest of this week and probably next as well. So unless I can find the time to finish the couple of larger posts that I’ve been working on there won’t be any posts this week or next week. Until next time keep on walking.

-Roland K

As One Journey Ends Another Begins

No I am not shutting down the blog. So don’t run away screaming in panic. However, as of Friday I am done with my bachelor of arts degree in History!!! I am really happy and excited to be done with my B.A!!! The only downside is that I won’t be getting my diploma until December. But, with one journey over another begins.

This fall I am going to be traveling for a couple of weeks with an old friend of my parents. In October I am going to be doing a week-long trip with him to North Carolina. Followed at some point by a two to three-week trip overseas. My parents friend has even offered to help set up a year-long round the world trip if I am interested. I will be posting more about the trips as I get more information. Suffice it to say that I am really excited about the opportunity to travel with a gentleman that I have deep respect and admiration for.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”-Chinese Proverb

-Roland K