Every now and again, it becomes necessary to travel outside of my home state of Texas.

I know… I can hear the collective gasp from the native Texan contingent  in the audience, and trust me, it was not without a fair amount of anxiety that I got on a plane and left the Great State.

The first stop on my trip was Las Vegas, Nevada, and without a complete disregard for y’all’s take on Vegas, I have found that it’s just not my cup of tea. My 24ish hours in Vegas left me feeling like Ground Zero for a 10 kilo ton  shit missile, and it was a direct hit.

Now, on to the good part…

A 3 1/2 hour drive through the desert, nearing my destination as the sun set on cue, delivered me to Joshua Tree, California and all of its polar opposite of Vegas glory. Surrounded by sand and silence…I finally felt like I was able to exhale.

I stumbled in to Joshua Tree a few years back while I was wandering westward in search of myself and I instantly felt a connection with the solitude and a welcoming calm in the landscape.

Fast forward a few long years and I felt the same homecoming among the Joshua trees.

Here’s the interesting part.

Joshua trees were named for the biblical figure Joshua by 19th-century settlers migrating across the Mojave desert who felt the outstretched tree limbs guided them along their westward journey….

As if I needed a louder message, the namesake Joshua, he of biblical fame, was a humble servant, and valiant warrior. He was loyal and dutiful in his unflinching willingness to tirelessly do what he was called to do.

Here’s my takeaway…

The grind of pushing forward on 3-4 projects every day on top of a real job  can feel daunting AF.

It can be exhausting.

And even a labor of love can be hard labor sometimes.

But…

Life is about finding a place that you feel welcome, and wholeheartedly embracing those open arms that shepherd you on your journey.

Dutifully answer your calling with courage and humility. Courage because you know you’re going to fall off of that horse, and Humility because falling off of a high horse is a REAL motherfucker.. Be loyal to your passion, pursue it passionately, even when that fire gets extinguished by a gigantic shit missile that leaves you questioning everything.

And, most importantly, dedicate yourself to the people that are dedicated to you. That is where you find true wealth.