This year I have taken the opportunity to research out historical events that relate to freedom, equality and what nations and people have done and continue to do in the name of progress and civility.

There are times where I have had to stop reading and walk away for days and weeks and even months because of the events documented in journals, reports and the memories of those who survived being the impediments of civilized society.

Sometimes it is difficult with these haunting images to find pleasure and even purpose in this life or in relationships that are fragile and ephemeral. History, written and oral, showcase the character of humans. I introspect on my own principals and code of conduct and am fearful with how weak I might be in similar situations and circumstances.

I have come to appreciate the bliss in ignorance.

I also have come to understand better in opportunity. This year is winding down and as we burden ourselves again with the idea and hope and dreams of new beginnings on January 1st, what is true is that new beginnings exist with every moment and with every breath.

The sun continues to provide the energy we all need to thrive. We wake and breathe and live near sighted in what is possible. Some in the most dismal situations find and embrace any opportunity. And if none are present they pursue the whirlwinds and distant mirages until they capture and grasp all they imagine and work until it is real and tangible.

I often experience paralysis at the abundance of opportunities and choices. What if I choose poorly? And the opportunity slips away and it’s absence is, at times, a welcome relief.

Some stand on the shore drowning in apathy and indifference. Excuses abound and ‘yea but’s’ sputter forth floating away on the wind. Age fades youth’s innocence and memory of what could have been and what should have been.

We all have but one life and it is our own to own and live and error and forgive and learn and discover the opportunity that is uniquely ours to imagine, pursue and create.

And maybe in the success of our pursuits the inhuman, unspeakable, unforgettable atrocities would diminish as the creative goodness and genius within all of us is exposed, nurtured and embraced.

Breathe this moment. It is yours for the taking. It is mine.