stephen angel

About me:

I have a genuine interest in meeting new people and interacting with fresh faces. With the addition of new people, comes the addition of new experiences and life stories. Each person that enters our lives has the ability to bring something different.

If I had the money to travel, I would move from country to country interacting with different cultures and alternate ways of living. It is hard to say what life is from only one point of view. Growing up in middle-class American does not offer an explanation of life. In order to truly understand this world, you have to immerse your self into it. . . not just one experience, but rather multiple experiences. For me, every wrong step, every decision made, every road-not-yet-traveled, is an opportunity to learn and develop as a person. The only way to grow in life is to open yourself up to the world; to make yourself vulnerable to the world. I know for a lot of people 'vulnerable' can seem like a scary word. Human nature generally does not want for us to let our shields down but that shield often obstructs more of the good than it does the bad. Sometimes you have to experience a little pain to truly appreciate the good.

The world is not about possessions, power, or popularity. It is not about pride or prejudice. The world is about the people in it, and the relationships and experiences created with those people.

Think back to you favorite moments in life. . . how many of those moments involve:
a) Possessions (new car, new stereo, new Rolex)
b) Popularity (class president, prom king or queen)
c) People (close friends or new faces)
d) Peeing on an electric fence (not recommended)

If you answered with choice (a) or (b) your life is obviously not very fulfilling since both of those are short term gratifications in life that do not last nor do they bring true satisfaction. If you choose (d) then you had a few too many beers and should not have been within walking distance of that fence. If you chose (c) then you probably could stand in a Perkins parking lot among a circle of your friends telling "Remember when. . ." stories until three in the morning. The relationships you create with those around you will outlast all else if taken care of properly. How many of the favorite moments in your life were done solo? Probably not too many. I almost guarantee that there was at least one other person with you during those times in your life that make you crack a smile.

The answers to those questions in life about yourself can only be found in life experiences. There are no "The Meaning of Life for Dummies" books or little instructional pamphlets with a five-step plan. Take every step as a learning step. Take every breathe as a chance for a new experience in life. Take each new person that enters your life as someone that may change your life . . .for the better.


Thanks to ALL of you for the "Remember when" moments in my life. . .

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