if you think you might be stagnating, you are. and this is for you.

i have been thinking about progress. my own, my brothers, my moms, my friends... not the type of progress to which scientific discoveries are subjected. nor the kind our nations politics seem to be so sorely lacking. instead, i have been thinking of personal progress, the process by which we, as individuals, grow.

tonight, as i navigated the seemingly interminable route from clifton to batavia, i caught the road behind me in the rearview mirror. technically - if i were so inclined - i could drive by looking in the rearview mirror. the scenery would unfold and i would observe the exciting places i had been. id turn my head periodically to steal a glance at where i was going, but for the most part, my path would weave idly as i absorbed the perhaps thrilling and beautiful, but haphazardly determined past.

as committed to progress as i am, i think i might have been operating in this way recently. i think ive been driving backward. and ill be the first to admit: the view has been gorgeous. comforting. safe. and - surprisingly - relatively on path (it seems my car instinctively knows the way to africa). im not sure what it will take during these next two weeks to turn my eyes to the road and consciously steer. or whether it is necessary. honestly, i plotted the general route east to mauritania, i jumped off the proverbial cliff (cary elwes fans can imagine me tumbling down a grassy hill, shouting "as you wiiiiish"), i actively decided my fate. regardless, i cant help but feel caught up in a whirlwind that i myself cooked up back in november. as the days tick down, the dominoes of my life topple, and i am swept up in my own amazing plans.

nominal guilt notwithstanding, i urge my friends (and myself), any of whom might be fixated on the scenery behind: look ahead. resist stagnancy. and if you cannot, plan so that the course of your life forces you to determine and follow a path of growth. for now, i weave along, largely directed, definitely inspired by some sage advice:

"you have to step outside comfort to grow though
thats kinda what this is all about?"