Coming Home (to family roots)

The tree of truth

Where our roots lie

Powerful, unyielding, petrified

It simply cannot be denied!

Lean in, not out

Be here, not there

Care more, not less –

For every stroke of life

Is a choice, just like chess

Do not feel you are under duress

Nay, I say – you are blessed

Go, do your best,

God will take care of the rest!

Bionicle Beginnings

Do you ever wonder why those simple, silly conversations go so much further with those we’ve known a long time (some, our whole lives)? The reason why “small talk” feels more engaging with those we’ve known since we were youngins, and sometimes with new people it can feel like work?

When I got up to speak at Grant’s wedding, (and experiencing my childhood friend Sean’s wedding too) – I realized something BIG. My generation (90’s babies, and elder gens too) are the last ones to grow our initial roots without technology EVERYWHERE. This is a lot bigger than we all think, because it seems so distant to us now… yet it still is how we grew up.

Simply bringing up a nostalgic example of Bionicles (lego-action figures) that me and my brothers played with extensively, and the responses of everyone to this showed how we all connect deeply on this fundamental level of play – before the phones and technology have taken this away from us, and our youth. Okay, “technology (can be) bad” argument is basic – and we’ve all talked about this with our friends. What more is this saying about the direction of human connection and community, now?

Let me tell you what I think [shoutout to the most amazing soon-to-be wifey Molly, and our talks – this came through after the Tulsa party ended]. This “bionicle beginnings” factor is much much larger than we think. It represents a simpler time where things just made sense, and we were living as a communal unit – and not so damn divided. When we could ride a bike to a friend’s house, leave it outside with no fear of it being stolen, and walk into our homies house with the door also unlocked. There was a sense of trust, peace/prosperity, and openness to all that lived with and around us. Basically, the sense of community was baked into the cake.

What the hell happened? What changed from here, to now? Well, a lot. In fact, so soo much, that there are entire books written about this! Ultimately, we are more divided now than ever based on those “controversial” topics of religion, politics, lifestyle, financial status, etc. etc… you know exactly what I mean. This is apparent and undoubtedly shown everywhere, in every city/town all across America (and most of the world). Just think back 10 years – to 2016. Go back 5 more, and it’s when Facebook was a baby, IG was just for fun, and the internet did not rule the world! That was just 15 years ago (again, right about when my generation turned into teenagers… the last kids before this dominant force has taken over). Okay, the problem is clear – let me pivot & hit you with some uplifting truth that is not just from me, but also felt deeply within our culture now.  

The “bionicle beginnings” are the extra ground to stand on, to bring us together, and to re-build our communities through the ties that nothing – not even all this overload of technology – can take away from us. Because we lived in this world before all this tech, understanding and living what true community means - we can pull from a place of unbreakable ground to keep us connected at our cores, and to maintain alliances with those that have been with us, since the beginning – and (hopefully), to the end.

Furthermore, this history we have with our “day ones” is a deeper level of understanding to cohese the crew as one. It deters drama, uplifts spirit/morale, and opens more doors to grow and proect energy for us (and our children) to thrive. It is because we knew and grew up with each other well before everything got so f****ed up – that we can bypass any fears, distrust, or discomfort because we draw from those “bionicle beginnings.” Therefore, we don’t get caught up on some disagreement and think the friendship/relationship is over; nay, we remember – that we grew up side-by-side, thus we can trust each other. TRUST! A feature of society that has been lost, valuable beyond words, and 100% needed to grow our families with true love and kindness, to re-build what has been lost – communities inherent in our society.

Sidenote: there are rare exceptions to this - there are certainly deep connections that happen from “newer” friends - but they are extremely rare. I have a couple “soul brothers” that I love, who I met outside of Tulsa; yet again, they are very rare and there usually is more volume to draw from with our “day ones” - those we grew up with.

Now, as the pages continue to turn, it is up to us to re-build our communities, to nourish them, to water the sprouts carefully to grow a new forest to shelter our future generations. This truth, strikes me at my core – and I’m happy to share this with confidence knowing that I am not the only one feeling and knowing this to be true. I humbly invite you to join me (and others), in choosing to build our communities back up, and to never give up in the pure goodness of humanity – to restore an era of trust and love – to those around us. Love you all.

-William John

Weekly Prompt (Like Lifting Weights, but for your brain):

Think of your “day ones” - does this excerpt above ring true for your relationship with them? In what ways is your relationship different with them, than others you meet from work/social spaces?

INTEGRITY SIDENOTE: ALL PHOTOS ARE ORIGINAL (from my camera), and NO WRITING/TEXT IS AI-GENERATED OR (even edited) BY AI.

All poems are written by me, and all writing is pure - NO AI USED AT ALL.

Thank you to all who tunes in, I share these excerpts with the intention to understand through writing, not to lecture or come from a place of superiority.

You are the reader, and I the writer, are one in the same.