8/1/2021

To My Grandkids,
     This is a lifelong healing process.

     Quite a while ago, when I still lived in Montana, I went to a cute little bookstore in town looking for a specific book called  'Be Here Now' by Ram Dass. When I went to the section I looked up and straight ahead of me, tucked perfectly in my view, was the book. Of course I grabbed it, and right next to it was also a book called 'Infinite Self; 33 Steps to Reclaiming Your Inner Power' by Stuart Wilde. 
     Even though that's what I was looking for, the books came home with me and ended up sitting on my shelf getting dusty for some months later.. Now, I've finally picked it up an WOW- it's a trip. In exploring this 'Infinite Self' book, I have started to really re-think why I do the things I do.. And how I got to where I am.. doing these things.. 
     Usually I can only read a chapter or so at a time- it's a lot to take in. This last chapter I  read, he talked about the Ego a lot. The ego is kind of like the ID- or your sense of 'Self/ I'. He talked about how the ego needs a  sense of security, community, validation, etc. to feel comfortable and safe in this world... However, when the ego feels too comfortable, it can cause you to feel stuck. This world nowadays is revolved around living a comfortable life, having financial and home security, finding security in a locked up relationship, and settling into a safe routine, and judging those who don't fit into those lines. Which is fine if you're into that, those aren't bad things if you are truly happy. Me personally though, that life of routine sounds scarier than the life of risk taking.. If you haven't noticed before, we live in a very egotistical world in general.. see the correlation?
     The book talked about how we should be doing things, even small things, to challenge the ego and break the 'norm'. (Taking control of your life through little habits) Wearing a chicken suit to work without explanation, walking backwards for a day, wearing your hair a funky way or talking with a new accent all day.. i.e. skipping college, living in a van, working seasonal jobs, travelling, healing myself and others, doing cold plunges, planning to buy my own land young and run a farm instead of selling my soul to an unsatisfactory job.... 
     I am living a life of challenging the norm, and breaking away from the egos' expectation of what I should be. All I should be, really honestly, is HAPPY and SATISFIED with the life I build for myself, and I cannot hear the voices of people who disagree, I simply block them out. This statement is so important to me. When young people talk to me about their dreams and plans, some sound like their flame has been snuffed so early in life, as friends and family are pushing to follow to the norm, get a degree, get a job, get a wife, pop some kids out, continue the cycle of dreading your alarm clock so you fit in, and leaving them feeling lost at such a young age when they are "supposed to have their shit together".
NO
NO NO NO
 If you aren't EXCITED AS HELL telling me about your dreams I'm gonna ask you to stop, put aside their expectations, and tell me what YOU want, where your PASSION is. It's so important to be an influence to people my age and show them that their potential is INFINITE, if you want to travel the world and own a small business  and go on amazing trips with people all over the world, YOU CAN. You can shoot for any single thing you could possible imagine, you just have to work for it and make it happen for yourself. Get over your ego, release it, stomp on it, grab it by the throat and tell it that YOU can DO ANYTHING. anything. anything. anything!
A bit all over the place but you get my message right?​

​You have infinite potential. 
I love you.
I see you.
I hear you.
I support you in your wildest dreams.

Love,
Graaaaannnnnnnnyyyy  J :)

P.s, photo is from an impromtu adventure.. Somewhere in a store in Oregon and an older guy invites us to his private lake beach for a couple drinks with friends.. wild.

---