A few years back, I went to those closest to me and described my endgame in a few simple words (a pitch, basically).  In the relatively short amount of time since then, I’ve knocked out several smaller tasks that all feed back into that larger, singular purpose: Getting my passport. Kicking my Arabic studies up a notch.  Becoming an active, professional actor and joining SAG-AFTRA.  The list goes on.  Now I look back at that initial pitch, and see I’m no longer saying ‘How do I get there?’  I’m saying, ‘This is it.  Let’s see how big this can potentially be.’

When I was a kid especially, but even in my younger adult years, I carried a certain dread about making that ‘one mistake’ that would derail me from getting anywhere near my full potential.  Now, the roots are in the ground, and my life is blossoming into something beyond anything I could have imagined as a quiet but extremely ambitious black kid from KCK.  That’s one reason I’m so grateful.  Here are a few more:

• Truthfully, I had no expectation of just…enjoying life, all the day to day moments as much as I clearly do.  And that didn’t just happen.  That was/is a constant work in progress.  The most amazing part of spiritual peace (and this is directed toward those of you who aren’t there…yet), is that for all the ‘pie in the sky’, I’ll never know what that’s like moments, when you find it, it’s truly something else.  There really aren’t words for it, but if you’ve experienced darkness, you’ll definitely recognize the feeling of that cloud not hanging over you constantly.
• More than one friend has called me out on the ‘love’ issue over the past month.  All I can say is this: much like my professional life, when the pieces naturally click into place, you just know.  There is no such thing as ‘too much love’ I feel, but if (to the best of my ability) I treat every woman I have an active relationship with as a sister at worst, a wife at best, then that’s definitely not an accident.  And I’m not done yet for those of you asking THAT question, but again I’m speaking of the life process of going from ‘many acquaintances’ to ‘one way relationships’ to ‘two way relationships’.  Saying it out loud makes me consider if my perseverance/work ethic is my strongest suit (cue Dark Knight joke). But seriously, to be able to build upon what I have, with little regard for the past and without over-thinking why it’s doomed to fall apart in six months or however long; to just stay ‘here’ and just enjoy each other in the moment…it’s the right place to be.
• Coming back full circle, I have lost track of how many ‘breaks’ I’ve been on the receiving end of over the years, but I’m very much the man who will look out for others, however big or small my influence actually is.  Now, that translates to being more active with certain groups of my past, present and future who concentrate on community service.  Some days that means if I have $10 burning in my pocket, I’ll throw a dollar back out into the Universe.  On most days though, it’s something a lot smaller than that (within context).  Listening to a friend who’s having a bad day or a bad string of luck.  Calling someone I haven’t talked to in awhile just so they know I still think about them.  Complimenting someone who needs to feel validated.  (Cue Hollywood joke.)  None of our lives are without meaning or purpose; I feel very blessed that I feel I know what my purpose is.  Because of that, I am committed to doing whatever is within me, to help others find and possibly achieve their individual purposes.

In the end, all praise is due to Allah.  Only the mistakes have been mine.