From my seemingly small, middle class world on the East side of St. Paul, I was exposed to a rich tapestry of people from all walks of life. I saw so much good right alongside so much bad. So much beauty coupled with inexplicable pain. Unconditional love in contrast with horrifying abuse.

 

I also saw completely amazing people's lives take so many different forms. Lawyers, doctors, models, drug dealers, renaissance recreators, nuns, strangers who lived in our basement, gang members, decorated members of the military, the list goes on and on. No path was presented to me as the wrong path.

 

OK, of course a couple of those paths were not advised but I don’t remember the people being introduced as inherently bad. My father was a criminal defense attorney and my parents often ran their law office from our home, so while I'd see the humanity in my dad's clients I would also see the way their choices  were destroying their lives. It was a holistic way to learn some valuable lessons about right and wrong.

 

These experiences and this exposure crafted the lens through which I would eventually see the world. This lens was like a kaleidoscope, filtering each experience, each new character through dozens of reflections from my life so far. For better or for worse, I saw the world in my very own way.

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I'd like to invite you to consume some of the stories, observe some of the thoughts that exist in my head. Let me know what you think, and please invite your friends to join the fun.