To those who have big dreams

When I was in high school, I wrote a song called follow your dreams. I released it 3 years later as an undergraduate student and a program that I knew it wasn't right for me. I had Big Dreams, and no idea how I would ever achieve them.

Until, one day, I decided to blindly go after them and start pursuing them with every ounce of energy I had left and my tired body.

Add all I can say, is that I am so glad that I did. I didn't have much money, nor resources, or time, but I still found a way to go out and see the world. 

If there is ever even a passing thought in your mind that you want to live in another country, find out what you need to do for that country in order to become a part of it. Familiarize yourself with local terminology and systems, such as prices of things, their currency, their language, and their social life. Try to hang out with the locals as much as possible and to shy away from what the tourists are doing. where on their mannerisms, how they talk, how they eat, how they think, how they sleep, and how they joke.  

And most importantly of all, learn the resources and finances needed to integrate with this new country. When I was going abroad to study for two years in London, I needed to register myself with the National Institution of health, and renew it every year for about $500 each time. I needed to apply for the biometric residence permit and Visa, which cost roughly $1,000. I need it to pay for extra vaccinations out-of-pocket. I need it to go through criminal clearances in both my country and there's sand and lots of long lines, accumulate a mini cabinet worth of paperwork, and remain on hold for up to 20 minutes of times to speak with people across the pond about various documentation and Licensing processes. sometimes I would wait 4 weeks on the ends to get documents mailed to me.

All of this had to occur before I could even buy my plane ticket and stepped foot in the airport. The process was not easy, but it was greatly worth my time and effort. The memories I made or insurmountable, and the friendships and Partnerships established for lifelong and Limitless.

Among the Hidden

G. Lynn Gable <grejarra@gmail.com>	11:37 AM (4 hours ago)
to me

in the summer of 2017, I decided to join the troop of my church as an assistant scoutmaster. Troop 37 was a small troop recovering from the shambles of a troop and weigelstown Pennsylvania, and it finally found a church to host themselves at. In referendum to an earlir post, with myself being an eagle scout, I decided to gladly accept this request to join.

Hidden valley scout reservation is a nationally accredited Boy Scout camp with over 50 acres filled with hiking and amenities, and post classes for well over 60 merit badges. in the center of Camp leading up to the campground my troop was in, there was a massive Creek with a stone bridge to take you from one side of the creek to the other. The scene was quite ideal like, so of course I had to stop and take some pictures.

there was a program there for the younger Scouts called The Dan beard program, and wish they would be working on requirements and advancements for their first three scouting rings. If completed successfully, then there would only be one or two requirements left to take the scouts to First Class Rank and their first year of scouting. And a higher chance of them getting their Eagle Scout award. So needless to say, we push our three kids in the troop through this quite quickly.

One of our Scouts was a bit of a Wanderlust, trying to spend every second of free time he had playing a game known to the youth as "gaga ball". it was played in the fenced-in area, and was a game of dodgeball and what you can only throw the ball towards the other players Shins. It was otherwise a free-for-all game. as fun as this game was, I sent him on the straight and narrow and made him report to us before running off and doing his own thing, as he was still young and sometimes directionally challenged. to help with all of the above, made him go on the optional hike for his Dan beard program and what she would be learning about 15 different species of Wildlife and hope to identify 10 of them for rank advancement. I walked on this hike with him, and that Scout Masters from McLean Virginia and Frederick Maryland, which one individual being and information security officer with a knee replacement, another individual being a biologist, and the scoutmaster one trip being a middle school guidance counselor. going on this site also proved to me that it is never too late in life to learn something new, and there is always something that you don't know about the world.

Back at Camp, our Scouts slept together into tents under Starry Skies with minimal rain the entire trip. Are safe scouting leader was up for the week to spend it with the boys, and he set up a solar array to charge some headlamps and cell phones for the scouts. This proves to be invaluable, especially since we were not burning any fossil fuels. scales from neighboring troops came to visit us, as our scoutmaster was a counselor for personal management and finance merit badges, and I'm at a young hockey player from Northern Virginia, as well as a scoutmaster from Kingston PA who had originally come from Portsmouth Maine and then lived in Boston before settling upon where he is now.

All in all

, I'm very impressed with this little Camp. I am partial to camp Tuckahoe, as I spent six Summers of my youth advancing Rank and learning achievements there, but for an extra 20 miles away from home, this camp was very nice and felt like home. I would actually argued that this Camp was a bit easier to navigate as well.

more information on becoming a Boy Scout can be found here. I might just be one of the most wholesome decisions you or your child can ever make.

The Card Deck Analogy

When i was helping a colleague deal with depression and suicidal ideation, I came up with this philosophy. I just want that I take with me always to help myself and others get through their darkest days. It's not much, but it's something.

Everyone is born with a set of cards. we have this same deck of cards throughout our entire lifetime. We might be missing the Ace of Spades so we have no Ace up my sleeve, and we might not have a strong Foundation because we are born without an entire set of twos. But what car do they have left, we must nurture and take care of at all times.

Although this may be a simple philosophy, it is ultimately cats me collected and level-headed throughout my life. I've always felt as though I've been dealt a rough deck of cards, but when I compare my Jack to others, I realize that it isn't too bad. And some spots, and for certain games, my hand works perfectly. And yours will, too.  for others, such as Crazy Eights or Spades perhaps, my hand is not Well Suited. But I do know that it is worth its weight in gold, and that yours definitely is, too.

If you have any theories of your own that you would like to share, don't be afraid to reach out to me. I am always willing to collaborate with new individuals.

Jalsa Salana

The same year that I discovered Unitarian Universalism was the same year that I decided to visit a mosque for the first time. I heard mixed opinions from all different members of all different religions, but I really wanted to discover the true meaning of Islam for myself. And so, I found a musket random in the middle of Harrisburg, right next to a Buddhist house that I had visited a year prior, and decided to check it out for myself.

The first time I went, I got a couple of looks from the mostly Pakistani individuals that worships there, mostly of curiosity. A couple of them asked me afterwards what I was doing there, having come up to worship under my own accord. It was a quiet Friday afternoon, and I was ready to learn. I learned that a week after this day was the start of Ramadan, and that they had meals with a community after Sundown every night, especially on Fridays.  And so, I knew that I would return the next week to celebrate with them.

If you've ever had to fast for medical reasons, fasting for Ramadan could be arguably similar but it's still extremely different. Fasting for religious purposes is a completely different form of discipline. Fasting is very healthy for you in actuality, and helps reset metabolism and therapeutic nutrient levels in your body, giving you time to get rid of excess. Not being put aside, I did a partial fast for my first 2 days of Ramadan in my entire life, and I returned to the mosque one night very hungry and ready for food time I must like the rest of them. I told them that I was fasting as well with them, to understand first-hand what they do, and they were so happy to hear this that they actually called me to the front of the room with my friend John so that we could talk to the congregation about our first experiences and impressions. Needless to say, they were very thankful for our presents, and we made several new friends that night.

It was on this night that I really came to understand the world of Islam for what it really is. When we got to the Food Hall after the evening prayer, doors were held for us, we were encouraged to go in front of people in line, we were given plates, and one person actually gave up their seat at the table for me. Now of course, I thought that this of course had to be because I was a visitor, and they wanted to put on a and good luck for The Outsiders. This was simply not the case. They were acting this courteous and friendly towards each other and everybody else around them as well. Their sect of Islam is love for all and hatred for none, followed by freedom of in Liberty for all individuals, and no compulsion within religion. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community mayday long lasting impression in my heart of the true meaning of Islam, and after Ramadan was over, they invited me to their biggest Gathering, the Jalsa Salana in Harrisburg.

Jalsa Salana is the biggest Gathering of Muslims in the entire United States, and most likely the world. A regular and steady 2 million people or so come in and out of the entrance doors every year when the convention is held. Upon entry, I was greeted warmly by security guards and escorted to the sign-in desk, where am I responsible post found me and sign me in under his wing. From there, he took me on a small tour to show me what was around the facility, show me where the shops were, introduce me to some people close to my age, and attempts to other General history and questions. The Jelsa was created when the first major wave of Islam moved from Pakistan to the UK and the USA. The Ahmadiyya were forced to leave because their religion was not treated as truly being Muslim, which was punishable by law in Pakistan at the time. Now, they ought to hold the biggest Muslim gatherings in the United States and United Kingdom every single June.

My first year, I learned how to get involved with Humanity first, their nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to eradication of poverty and violence. They showed me around the attendance Hall, showed me information on History, different books, different organizations within the Religion, some people that have come from Washington and Massachusetts, and of course, some very wonderful free food. And because I wasn't honored guests invited there by somebody in the Muslim Community, I was invited to go upstairs later on after their afternoon presentations to have a sit-down meal with other esteemed guests, learn more about their important individuals in their religion, and enjoy conversation. The food was delicious, and I made a lot of friends that day from Arkansas and Beyond. After this, we all gathered once again in the main room, giving final presentations and final evening prayers before the night was done.

I enjoyed everything I learned about the world of Islam so much, that I decided to come back for the next two summers to participate in Ramadan and to also go to Jalsa Salana once again. Every yard went back, they kept getting better and better. And that being said, I'm so fortunate that I decided to step into their world. Love really has no borders, no doors, and no walls. What is most important to remember is that there is no good or bad religion or mine said, only good and bad people that promote or corrupt said behaviors. And the end, regardless of religious affiliation, love will win.

Photo Credits go to Jalsa's Twitter.