Tonight I had the opportunity to see Eustace Conway speak. For those of you who don't know who Eustace is.. he is a man that has stepped out of our world and into the real world...nature. To name a few things he has done...lived in a tepee...rode cross country on horseback...kayaked across Alaska...accumulated thousands of acres in North Carolina where he runs a camp (Turtle Island) endured physical pain..and overcome what many said he could not do. He truly is "The Last American Man."
I feel so inspired after tonight's talk that I am completely speechless. I am having a very difficult time trying to put into words how I am feeling. The first thing I thought about after he was done talking was "I really want to hug him." I didn't have anything to say to him that he hasn't already heard before...I just wanted to hug him and say "thank you!" So I got out of my seat and finally got the courage to approach him...no I didn't get to hug him but I did shake his hand. Tomorrow will be a continuation of tonight's talk and I am really looking forward to it.
There have been many parts from the book and things that he said tonight that will have an everlasting impact on how I view the world around me, but something that really stuck with me is his simple statement, "When I see something I don't like or see something that is wrong, I change it." So simple. There are so many things in the world that are wrong and that I don't like and rather than complaining about it I need to just change it. Walk out the door and change it.
Things are beginning to pop into my head now from tonight's talk. Two things he also talked about...#1.death #2.role models.
So many of us are afraid to do what Eustace is doing because we are scared to die. What if we can't survive on our own? What if we aren't as strong as Eustace? What if we get sick? One of the many differences between Eustace and other Americans is the fact that he is not afraid of death. He is not scared to be extreme or to put himself in those situations. This sparked a question in my mind...am I afraid to die?...my answer is no. I know that I have only been on this earth for 2 decades, but looking over the course of those 2 decades and even over the course of the past 2 years I have accomplished a lot. I am happy and content with my life and I know that if I died tomorrow I would have lived a fulfilling life. I love my life and I am completely pleased with every aspect of it. I think that Americans need to open their eyes and truly start living. We need to be grateful for everything around us...notice the small stuff...the trees...smells...feelings...smiles...warm weather...cold weather...clouds ...sounds...laughter. If we begin to recognize everything around us we are able to gain a better appreciation of life.
He also talked about role models and how important they are for us have. I started thinking of role models in my life and the first three that came to my mind were
#1. Jesus
#2. Eustace Conway
#3. My brother Kurt
These three role models have had a huge impact on my life thus far. I know there are many more, but these three are at the top of the list.
These are just a few thoughts...I am quite tired and am probably not making very much sense ...so I will leave you with this...have you changed something today? Have you helped someone today?...if not I encourage you to do so tomorrow.. peace love and goodnight!
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