I woke up the other day; it was cold, fridged. As I began to crack open each eyelid, I slowly wiggled my toes making a wave-like motion. I could feel life awakening in my body. It's not every day I am excited to awake in the early AM, get dressed, and voyage 40 miles south to my full-time job. But it's life. I have it.

It has occurred to me that nothing in this life will ever be achieved to the standards we've placed on our feats or to the expectations of our intended or unintended audiences. Actually, it is in death that our work is the most revered, the most remembered.

With that in mind, it's important to focus on the beauty around us to draw inspiration and meaning for our lives. The familiarity of home and the people close to us strips us of all the wonder that the outside world has to offer. We gain more by walking in the crowded park than remaining contained in the quiet of our offices. We are more when exposed.

I sit in an office at work. There are no windows, just fluorescent lights in the ceilings. My back faces the doorway; I face my computer. I don't receive anyone; instead, they approach me. Sometimes living in the unknown and knowing that everything doesn't have to be clear releases a fear of experiencing the truest truth.