Tonight I was reading an article and listening to music. Really, there were other things I should have been working on but as I read and I listened it snapped me back to a place where I haven't been in a very long time. Far too much time has passed since I have really sat and thought about things.

Now, everyday I do intense thinking: how to best piece together an a/v system, what particular track played on which speakers will emotionally connect with someone, how best to manage my business for the best possible results. But I mean serious, important thinking. Thinking about things that are outside of and greater than ourselves. Reminiscing back upon my life and about how my actions impact those around me, about God and love and the world. Things that matter. Things that are eternal.

When was the last time I read a good book or just went out alone with my camera captured photos and contemplated the world. I appreciated the little things. When I was in college and when I first moved to Houston it seemed that I somehow understood things better than I do today. I connected with myself, with God and the world around me more. In so many respects my world is richer now but it seems I no longer have that quiet time whether it be buried deep in a book or walking alone with my camera exploring no place in particular. I think we all need that. Unfortunately, it seems most of us tend to hide from it. We fill each one of our moments up. We are on the phone, in front of the computer, we leave the TV on (even if just in the background) or we nap. It's not that these are bad things but when is the last time you were truly alone with your thoughts? When was the last time you sat alone in the dark, took a deep breath and thought about things eternal? I know for me it's been far too long.

That changes today. I have a fantastic library behind me half unread. I have 95% of Houston left unexplored by my camera and I have a heart and a mind that have been filled with things to pass the time and fill the quiet moments for far too long.

While sitting and listening to that music late at night with only the desk lamp lighting the room, thinking back to who I was and where I used to be I suddenly had the intense urge to write. So here I am, writing to no one in particular and for no one but myself.