Fear(less.)

One of my most profound memories at Averett was photo-adventures with my brother Marley. I remember this one time, we met up after our classes to get some shots at the downtown train graveyard. We had gotten some photos of the old buildings and street art when suddenly i noticed Marley climbing on top of one of the trains (He's VERY adventurous.) He urged me to join him on top of the railcar. Naturally, since I was afraid of heights, I was full of doubt and apprehension, but I joined him on top of the train-car and saw one of the coolest views of Danville. 

You never know what's waiting outside your comfort zone; how can you reach for the stars and the sky if you never get off the ground? What’s holding you back? Rejection? Fear of the unknown? Sometimes the craziest ideas are the ones that change the world. Although consistency and routine are helpful and necessary, the real adventure is outside of the box. So conquer your biggest dreams. Take risks. Take chances. And never let fear paralyze you.

Tylerpalooza.

April 17^th marked twenty-two years for this beautiful soul, the lovely miss Tyler Jarvis. I met this girl my second semester at averett and we've been the best of friends ever since. She is such a loyal friend and always lends a listening ear, an open heart and a shoulder to lean on. (Plus she's an art major so you can't go wrong with that.) So to my art twin, thanks for being the creative soul and twerk queen you are; here's to another year of painting and my bad driving and partying past midnight and most importantly to another year of our beautiful and unique friendship. Cheers bae! #tylerpalooza #beyonce #doorbell

Give a little bit.

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road and when he saw the man, he passed by him. So too, a Levite. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came to where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day, the Samaritan took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper.

'Look after him,' he said. 'And when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

Now which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert of the law replied, 'the one that had mercy on him.'

Jesus told him, Go and do likewise.” – Luke 10:25-37

Hundreds of times in the Bible, it is mentioned that we must live to love and serve others. Christ himself states that to inherit eternal life we must love and serve our God and others, one-to-one. (Luke 10:27) Jesus conducted many acts of service from washing the disciples' feet to the ultimate act of kindness by giving His life for us. But the greatest detail of these conducts was that Jesus did not do it for fame of recognition; He did it out of love. But in what way, shape or form can we do for others?

Sometimes, the smallest acts of kindness can mean the most. Write a friendly note for your neighbor. Buy lunch for a friend. Talk to a senior citizen. Read to a kid. Because a small act of kindness a day can change the world.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you let me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous said, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or sick or in prison? And He replied, Truly, I tell you. Whatever you did for others, you did for Me.” – Matthew 25:45

Time in a bottle.

“We don't forget; our heads may be small, but they are as full of memories as the sky may sometimes be full of swarming bees. Thousands and thousands of memories. Of smells, of places, of little things that happened to us and which came back, unexpectedly, to remind us who we are.” – Alexander McCall Smith

Everyday we encounter hundreds of thousands of thoughts, colors and sounds that we use to create stories and memories. But there are certain memories and events that leave a bigger impact. If i could keep time in a bottle, the following events would definitely make the list:

• My last semester at averett. The last three months of my undergraduate career at averett were probably the greatest months of my life. I grew an artist, writer, student, human and friend. i made had some great last adventures with my fellow graduates, made some new friends at the spring formal, started my job at the YMCA, I was preparing to graduate that may and do mission work in Washington, DC in a couple days, and was making preparations to move to Danville that summer.
• Geocaching and photo-adventures with my buddies Marley and Jude. I can truly say that appetite for adventure and wanderlust came from my friends Marley and Jude. Many afternoons after class were spent hiking or going downtown or to the local park and getting some really cool shots. They taught me to learn to take time out and enjoy the small things in life. To seize the day and live in the moment.
• Moving to Danville, Virginia. Moving out on my own has definitely been one of the biggest responsibilities I’ve had. Danville had become home to me after my time at averett and I saw it as a great place to transition into the real world. There are great resources, a lot of my friends still lived in the area and it's relatively cheap (especially for a recent college grad). I spent the summer after graduation working at the Y (before being accepted into the Dan River year program before starting my newest job as a bank teller) and buying and transferring furniture from Southboston, my hometown.
• Being a shoulder for my friends to lean on. There aren't many people that I’d wake up at three o'clock in the morning to talk or many people that I’d take midnight drives and Sheetz runs for but when it comes to my friends, there isn't much I wouldn't do. Helping and serving others is what I live for. Each one's of my friends' stories have become a part of me and I find it an honor that they want me to listen.
• My last day at pleasant view. How could the worse job I’ve held make the list of my greatest memories? Working for the Danville redevelopment and housing authority was a trial for me but i think about the impact I had on the kids in my short time there. Helping them with their homework. Playing outside after school. Teaching them values and the act of community-service. On my very last day there, the kids and my supervisor threw me a surprise farewell party. And as I drove away that evening, I learned that life goes on and a new chapter begins.
• Visiting Virginia Commonwealth University. Anyone who knows me knows about my obsession with Richmond, Virginia. The art. The music. The hipsters people. The city in general. When I went to visit, I was still embarking on what I wanted to do in life. But VCU helped refuel and feed my creative passion. I was surrounded by a cohort of people with similar interests as me and I felt like I had found a home. Do I regret going to averett? Not one bit. I’m considering going back for my degree in journalism and plan on making Richmond my home.
• Adventures with my friend Elizabeth. Whenever I’m with my free-spirited friend Elizabeth, roadtrips and adventures are bound to happen. We’ve been to Durham, North Carolina to visit a cool camera store, a mom-and-pop vegetarian restaurant and a book-and-record store. We’ve served as staff leaders for the Virginia center of inclusive communities' connections camp, a camp teaching highschool students about diversity, and our latest adventure was a trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for her twenty-second birthday.
• Overcoming my anxiety issues. I am better now. If you would have met me four months ago, you would have seen a different guy. A guy full of panic and fear who was unsure of his future. A guy full of worry and self-doubt. But after making some new starts and with the support of my big brother and my friends, I’ve fought my battles, conquered my fears, and defeated my demons and became human again.
• Taking a road-trip to see my brother roger. A couple of summers ago, I took a road-trip to visit my brother roger who was living in Eden, North Carolina at the time. We grabbed lunch and spent the day just riding around and catching up on old times. This was one of the first road-trips i had ever taken and it was great catching up with a good friend.
• Mission trip to Washington, DC. As stated at the beginning of this post, shortly after graduating from averett, a group of students from the Christian student fellowship took a mission trip to Washington, DC focusing on hunger relief and homelessness. We served at a soup kitchen with the organization SOME (So Others May Eat.), learned about international hunger aid and served at a battered women's shelter. Not only did it feed my desire to travel but it opened my eyes to the world of service and humanitarianism. I can definitely see myself working more in mission fields later on in life.

U N P L U G G E D .

Fifty days ago, I unplugged myself from social media and went completely analog for the Lenten season. Through the season of change, there have been periods of growth, purging and reflection. I lost a couple of friends, gained a few friends, had my heart broken, climbed mountains, explored valleys, lost myself, found myself, performed acts of kindness, spread love and grew in my relationship with Christ.

I thought about Christ during His last days on earth and how in the most climactic week of His life, his best-friend Peter let Him down three times: at His trial, in the garden and then denying His existence three times; Peter wept after betraying his leader and friend but used this as a lesson, as God often does in our lives.

The most important lesson I learned, which cost me a friendship, was to be yourself. To live simply, purely and most importantly, honestly. so often, we are afraid that the ones we love won't accept who we are or that we're not up the standards that we've set for them but I’ve learned that when you are honest with others, and with yourself, that's where love grows.

So here's to the ones who ended the journey with me; apologies to the ones I hurt and the ones I lost on the way.

Wildflowers.

What if you could change the life of one person a day, everyday for the rest of your life? You can.

March 20^th is the international day of happiness. Across the world, people are coming together for complete one mission: to spread joy. Studies have shown that human interaction is just as important as our other basic needs. So why not make it a positive one? Smile. Do an act of kindness. Volunteer. Talk to your neighbors. Hug your best-friend. Communicate with the people around you. You’d be surprised at the number of conversations and interactions we miss because we're looking down at our screens instead of up at the faces of fellow human beings.

Across the world, millions of people are putting forth the effort to be a catalyst of positive change with flash mobs and posters. So take the initiative needed to spread love like wildflowers.

Twenty-one: the city and the sea.

Today, I commenced my second round of twenties and my twenty-first revolution around the sun. And to celebrate my twenty-first birthday (in a nontraditional way) I spent time with some great friends and took a roadtrip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Asheville, North Carolina. My birthday extravaganza actually began in Richmond, Virginia when my brother and I took a tour of VCU and also checked out some local eateries and cool spots to hang out. I concluded that weekend with dinner with the folks and preparing for the adventure ahead.

That Monday, I departed for South Carolina where I spent part of the week catching up with some of my buddies from averett. We checked out some bars and walked the boardwalk and basically spent the day catching up on old times. That Thursday I headed back to Danvegas to prepare for part two of my escapade: Asheville, North Carolina.

Asheville may be the second greatest city I’ve been to. As soon as the bus arrived downtown, it immediately became my second love. Downtown Asheville was with booming with art galleries and independently owned businesses and artists and writers and free-spirits lined the streets. The coolest thing was that ALL of the businesses were interconnected with the motto, “KEEP ASHEVILLE INDIE.” and the fact that I could personally meet business-owners, artists and writers and hear their stories and inspirations and goals and fears.

That week was honestly one of the memorable weeks of my life and if there was any lesson or mantra behind it, it would be to go out and see the world.