It's the first rainy morning in a long time.

I wake up and walk through the muddy fields in my rain boots to town to get cell phone service so I can get P's call from Paris. I have to get out the door early to talk to my Europeans, the time difference is too much here on the west coast.

I walk past all the bee friendly flowers Jordan has planted and open the gate that was once used to move cattle on these lands. I walk on the mesa and feel the calmness of a rainy, foggy morning and a day off, I haven't had one of those in a good long while.

Bovine Bakery is quiet this morning, unusual. I take my coffee to go and head to the marsh to await my phone call. I sit in reflection, it feels like years since I have done this. I watch the fog roll and undulate over the hills of Inverness and realize how much happier I am in this moment. I seemed to find myself again.

My old life never allowed for any down time, time to reflect, to write, to be creative, time to connect and talk on the phone with loved ones. I could never walk to grab a cup of coffee or sleep in.

Change can be scary. But the risk is worth it. I spent my 20s doing these personal development seminars, I ended up managing them and doing a leadership program that consumed 9 months of my life. It taught you to be unstoppable. I still get caught up, don't get me wrong but it taught me to take a chance. I'd be on a team, managing seminars and see people start the program with so much baggage, hurt, resentment, pain and fear. They'd have parents, brothers, lover's who they hadn't talked to in 10, 20, 30 years and over the course of 3 days, would restore these relationships. They would then be asked to invite these people to their "graduation". They'd say, "But no, he lives in NYC" or "Germany" as if it were entirely impossible but they'd get over that and ask and surprisingly enough, people would show up. Life is short, why not? If you can't make things happen for the ones you love, then what is the point? Seeing this over and over again was an inspiration.  It's made me hop on planes and take chances everyone called me foolish for. And I have had miserable failures but a life filled with deep, loving and everlasting friendships.

I've worked hard at not burning bridges and keeping relationships intact. It's become harder the older I get and there's still much work to do. But as I talked to this old beau in Paris on the phone, walking amongst the drizzle, I was so happy to have this relationship in tact. We had both hurt each other in ways some wouldn't forgive the other but here we were friends, grown and in very similar places in life. And our friendship fills a void that could be filled by no other and I am grateful we worked at forgiveness and friendship. In hindsight, it is better to forgive and love and never, ever stop taking chances. You'll be happier for it.