#initiation2016

I've been thinking about the end of this project. I have one more song for you all to hear. So, we're coming to the end of Initiation. The end of this song cycle. Initiation is an interesting word because it represents a trial & an end result; a kind of knowing that comes with challenge. A lot of us experience this when we feel the tight grip of Youth losing hold on our senses. This can be like a war. In my life, the process of finding peace with myself & taking hold of adult responsibility really was a grappling match to the end. But then there was a clearing. There was the sweet relief of a new identity on the other side of loss. There is a moment when Youth takes in the horizon of adulthood & says, "I give." It feels like death at first, & then surrender feels like heaven. We can always carry the fires of youth into adulthood. We can always be young at heart. That furnace can fuel so much. But there comes a moment when we look through the cracks of our technicolor war paint...when we open our eyes to see what the world really is around us & make a choice to believe in its goodness enough to fight for it. To stop living in our dreams & start living them out with blood & sweat & tears & hard work. This is when our old innocence births a profound scar born wisdom. We call this wisdom "adult." So, my friends, keep growing up. Keep making this place a better place to be. Find that wisdom & use it well! It's going to take a great deal of real love & hope to do it. Photography by @mattpbrock #initiation2016

*candid*