About

Waldlichtung

For anyone who has ever taken a walk through the woods, they know that every so often the forest will present an area that is more or less barren. That is, a clearing. Many times this clearing will still be amongst the trees with a lush, green canopy overhead. At others, it’ll be a clearing proper with no trunks or foliage to speak of; only a grassy meadow with blue sky above and maybe a brook or hill traversing its midst.

As we sojourn amongst the trees, the day-to-day, we can grow complacent or weary. But sojourns are not meant to be exiles; they are meant to be brief. Eventually, you’ll find a clearing in the wood where you can experience a different kind of sojourn altogether. A place of curious mystery, or a park full of play. Perhaps it’s an abode of inspiration, or simply a resting point before you scurry back on your way. Maybe it’s a philosophical plaza at which you experience a revelation, or even an academic esplanade to further your knowledge. Whatever it is, it’s definitely outside the routine happenings of life. A momentary exit from the forest.

This is Waldlichtung — a clearing in the forest.

The Author

I originally wrote an “About the Author” page on May 23rd, 2012. I was highly emotional and a tad bit spiritual at the time, and thus the text was a mixture of hyperbolic and hyperpoetic. I’d like to think that my writing has improved since that time; I’d also like to think that my larger body of work (albeit small) isn’t as emotionally sensitive and airy-fairy as what was previously in this spot.

Additionally, I’ve added a bit more context to this blog. It’s not just me writing here now, but my wife as well. Her thoughts are more candid and from the heart than mine, but such is the opposite sex. I’ve also transitioned into writing as a moonlight gig, granting a few hours every week to write about Real Salt Lake soccer for Soccer Newsday. Other potential gigs may be around the corner.

The Crux of this page:

I’m a human. I contain all the faults, short-comings, failures, brilliancies, and curious amazement that our species entails. My writings (and my wife’s) reflect these things and more. The struggles I deal with on a daily basis sometime make it into my writings; other times they don’t for the same reasons I have struggles to begin with — I’m human. I’m working harder on being more transparent, and I pray that’ll eventually mean a net gain for me down the road.

I’m a devil’s advocate, a cynic, and a pessimist. I regularly ask questions that are far from the norm, and my answers outpace my inquiries. I enjoy making people uncomfortable because I adore seeing how they respond in the moment as they attempt to deal with their human condition. I want to see what humanity is made of, and why. I routinely challenge the status quo, and I’m comfortable enough with my actions and philosophies to take the criticisms associated with being an outsider. That’s what I’ve been my entire life.

I’m a Jack-of-All, Master-of-None. A Renaissance Man of sorts. I find formal, traditional education (especially the modern variant) far from definitive or authoritative. And those that trust solely in their piece of paper that says they’ve completed 160 hours of auditorium lectures I tend to respect less. Life is about hands-on experience. Knowledge is important, but it’s only half the battle. Moreover, the varying degrees of personality involved in the human race tends to mean we’re all capable in equally varying degrees at equally varying things. Don’t get caught up in being better at something than someone else, and vice versa. I don’t. If you do and I take notice, chances are you’ll see Mr. Hyde trying to provoke you.

In case you’re unaware of this after stumbling upon this website and reading the last five paragraphs, this is a blog. While the “web log” has long outgrew its original intent from a decade ago, the main idea still rings true — this is a place for what some might call “self-important intellectual masturbation”. All blogs are. In fact, all writing is to a varying degree. I write about myself, where I am in life, where I am in this world, and what I’m feeling at any given time. Each post may have a specific theme, but the undercurrent is all the same — Me. My wife would agree as it pertains to her posts. Getting hits on my site by internet junkies is far from my goal. This is about giving myself a forum to catalogue and organize my thoughts, feelings, emotions, and happenings in digitally written form. It is nothing more.

In light of this revealing information about said Author, enjoy this site for what it is:  a man that wears many amateur hats, dealing with living the life the Creator has gifted him with, and doing so in a way that causes just enough ripples in the pond to make the tadpoles question the way they think about and act towards the environment of the Greater Pond.

And in case you don’t “do” subtle… the tadpole is you.