Collaboration...

No matter how rogue we might think we are our lives have been one, big collaboration.  A kumbaya of the highest order.  We do NOTHING alone.  No matter how bad ass we might think we are or how lonely we might feel, it took a village to create us and that village drives everything we do as we move forward through life.  As much as I love my solitude and as much as I might think I do so much on my own, the man I am today was created through the constant collaboration of the souls I've met along the path of my life.  God has been my biggest contributor and lets face it, He pretty much got the ball rolling, creating the specs, setting the foundation and kick starting it back in 1961 when my parents on one particular night got freaky.  Gaak, did I just say that?

But since my birth my life has been nothing but a collection of influences.  I can't image the man I might have become if even one seemingly insignificant experience didn't occur.  You might be thinking "butterfly effect" and you'd be right.  Every positive and negative gesture and my responses to them have shaped this person I am now.  My years as a Brat, my time in the Army, my first marriage, my second marriage, my beautiful daughters, my obsession with athletics and every conceivable exchange with those I crossed paths has made me who I am today.  I've had some REALLY wonderful and horrible experiences but without them I never would've experienced the kinds of discoveries and epiphanies that have strengthened me and enlightened me.  So many people have influenced my life, in one way or another, which has put me right where I am now.  People I've shared a home, a classroom, a foxhole, a beer (several), a cry, a laugh, a chat, a text, they've all put their mark on me.  Hell, there are people I've never met, both living and dead, that have touched my life in some way or another. 

What's great about this collaboration of life is that we can all exercise our free will and more importantly, so do those we're collaborating with.  Sure I could come up with some kind of life living on my own in some vacuum but it wouldn't have the vibrancy, depth or meaning that my life has now from all the contributions these past 51 years.  I hope I'm not coming off as pretentious.  I hope you understand that what I'm saying is that I've been truly blessed because of everyone that's been a part of my life, big or small.  And when you come to think of it, we ALL have a pretty blessed life.  So as I muddle through each day, smiling over those that bring me joy and grinding my teeth over those that piss me off, I'm thankful for all of them and everyone in between. 

We've all got this great, big canvas.  Let's create something special together.