Our Collective Journey LLC

03/18/2022

You are not your jobs... you are way more amazing than even YOU know! Let's keep digging deep and exploring. Dont let that fire inside go out!

03/17/2022

06/04/2021

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/06/02/asia/sri-lanka-ship-sinking-intl-hnk/index.html

A smoldering container ship began to sink off the Sri Lankan coast Wednesday, officials said, heightening fears an oil and chemical spill could exacerbate one of the worst ecological disasters in the country's history.

05/10/2021

19years ago the su***de of my brother exploded my internal processing and opened deeper trauma stuffed into my subconscious. Feeling disconnected, alone, and unable to cope I divorced my wife, quit a solid career as a Family Teacher at Boys Town in Omaha, NE, packed my truck and headed for solitude in the mountains. With my giant companion (Noah dog) I started a new life. As I returned to visit the quiet calm vibe in Crested Butte today (off-season) I couldn’t help but stroll down memory lane. My God, the past 20 years (okay the past 43 years) have given me multiple lives worth of experiences. As I stared at the mountains for the thousandth time, those lives seemed to layer upon each other in a sort of orchestrated way. Country life, city life, suburban life, mountain life, island life and all that they embodied seemed to be stitched together like a creative and tattered yet resilient quilt. Metaphorically, the quilt wrapped around me offering a very comforting peace.
As we enter continue this month, dedicated as mental awareness month, I want to offer this metaphor and encouragement for those of you who also carry a tattered and worn quilt of diverse beautiful and messy experiences. Our “quilts” are a record of life’s resilience living through us, not life’s disapproval wrapped suffocatingly around us. Our quilts are our strength not our noose. Believe in your experiences- your quilt if you will- and let go of comparing, judging, resisting, and undervaluing the woven fibers of life that currently make up your existence. Wrap your quilt around yourself and recognize with out every single experience, regardless of how terrific or traumatic it’s perceived, was given as a gift to guide, to teach, and to connect us to the collective fabric that makes up all life. Even when you feel alone, hopeless, scared, or empty close your eyes, take just one slow deep breath receiving awarness that life values you enough to connect you to millions of others feeling exactly the same way at that exact moment. You are part of the collective life, embrace it. Choose to wake up and if needed recklessly abandon deaths disguises so you can discover life’s undeniable grip. Believe in yourself, let go, and see what happens.

05/05/2021

Congratulations to Melissa Ponder for setting a CMAS world record in variable weight with fins! I admire your determination and discipline and was so nice to meet someone in the Free Dive world who is also so far removed from their previous familiarities. Representing Arizona on a world stage!

https://www.instagram.com/p/COdthvkhx5F/?igshid=r6mulq6kdr0k

05/03/2021

Spanning 750 feet (230) meters the Ram Jhula suspension bridge provides travel over the river Ganges just outside the town of Rishikesh in India. Rishikesh is known as both a gateway to the Himalayas and as the yoga capital of the world. Holy Babas and Sadhu line many of the streets as they live out lives in search of greater enlightenment. Travelers from around the world come to attend Hindu ashrams, religious centers, and yoga training. Ayurvedic medicine and practices are all part of the holistic emphasis on achieving a healthy balance between mind, body, and spirit. Eating meat and drinking alcohol are not allowed as they are believed to disrupt health and harmony.
The events creating the why behind crossing this bridge would easily fill the pages of a novel and include beautifully heartbreaking and heart-strengthening stories. I felt guided by a greater source and connected to a purpose beyond where my mind or my beliefs could venture. I didn’t speak the language, had no connections, no reservations, no map, and dropped my phone in the toilet elsewhere in India two days prior. Regardless, the last thing I was feeling was that I was wandering aimlessly or just another tourist aiming to do yoga in its birthplace. It is interesting to watch this video and remember- despite the noisy crowded and completely unfamiliar setting, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I think the young man who spoke with me was also very happy I was there. Another lesson about believing in our collective journey.

01/28/2021

First time scuba diving! So I've been a nose breather my whole life and making the adjustment was a little tricky at first. But after really concentrating on only using my mouth the diving parts and views were awesome.

I'll definitely be doing more!

01/27/2021

Our buddy Pedram, who was driving the boat in our last post, ended up swimming with the whales!

01/27/2021

Out looking for whales! Found some along with some dolphins. Wanted to swim with them. Unfortunately we didn't get out front of them and close enough on that trip.

01/24/2021

Tree of Life. When you quite your mind and open yourself up to the universe you could feel the energy vibrations coming off the tree!

You can see how big it is as Nico is hugging it.

01/15/2021

A little late on the post as we got into Cabo on Wednesday! Traded the windy and cold weather in Cabo Pulmo for the sunny and perfect weather here!

We are staying at the Ocean Tiger Dive House with other divers from around the world who travel here to learn and practice their skills in the Sea of Cortez. Ben is one of the experts and Im definitely the unskilled rookie, but that doesnt mean I won't try!

01/12/2021

When my cousin John and I connect to discuss our hopes, dreams, and vision for Our Collective Journey it is anything and everything but dull. We navigate the Covid world of travel, dodge every obstacle including cows, horses and dogs in Baja, get rear ended by reckless drivers (more to come on this story) engage new potential partners, seek out land for off grid intentional community, contemplate the universe and our very short existance here, laugh and get frustrated with these confusing yet profound times, and revisit our commitment to let life lead the dance.

We feel honored to be alive during this pinnacle transition and often laugh at how little we really know about what the future holds. This is Our Collective Journey... buckle up or unbuckle, either way, just make sure you’re fully present during the ride🙏