This idea came to me from a place of silence. A week after spending a fall break from school with my daughter, I reminisced about the incredible time we spent together, being present and in the moment. Whether it was swimming, hiking, yoga, art projects and beyond, there was an inescapable amount of gratitude and happiness that seemed to percolate from everywhere. This caused me to take some notes on the experiences, feelings and sentiment that surrounded that week that infused me with the intent of developing something for more than just me and to serve you, the reader of this book and the architect of your life. You see, we live in a world today, dominated by the digital age. Social media, mobile phones that have become super computers of our time, digital distractions within an arms reach of each of us. But something is missing. It's us. We seem to have lost our connection to our families, friends and close relationships. Call it convenience. Call it evolution. Call it a lost generation. But it doesn't have to be that way and we can capture this now. These experiences should be captured and I'll tell you why. Getting older is a fact of life. The cliché is true- the older you get, the quicker it goes, doesn't it? How do we hold on to those memories in a tangible way? Hence this book. How do we journal these experiences, beyond a blog or the digital age? How do we leave a legacy? How do we share with the next generation, what we did, where we did it, how we felt at the time? HOW DO YOU WANT TO LOOK BACK? Yes, I'm notorious for asking lots of questions, but hopefully this has you thinking. Wouldn't it be nice if we could do just that- go into a time machine and see what we did and have a physical archive of these activities and events? If you are interested, then you've come to the right place. Its your Egyptian scroll. Your canvas of papyrus to leave your imprint on your family and loved ones. Lets go deeper for a moment. As an adult reading this, you will understand that life has many buckets. - Family-children, parents, siblings, in-laws etc. - Community-friendships and community involvement - Spiritual- religion or philosophy - Career- today and in the future - Health- decisions and lifestyle - Material- possessions - Avocations- hobbies and non-work related activities As we look at each, we all know that they can often change over time. Families change and grow. Friendships evolve. Your philosophy could change. We change careers more frequently today. Health matters differently at stages in our lives. Our material possessions can expand or contract over time. Much the same can be said for our hobbies. So, how do we keep it all glued together? We all struggle with this. Work too much, miss your family. Don't work enough, you might not be able to take care of your family. But what if we could focus on our family, friends and connections and chronicle these experiences in a book. You know, like this one? Part journal, part travel experience? Part time capsule, part historical reference? Its been said by others before me, but I believe this axiom is true- there is nothing more important than how you feel. If this is a fact, then can you consider doing the activities in this book? It will become a source for you to always drink from and savor. You'll be able to look back at a picture, the written word and recall those fond memories that were seared into your soul at the time they happened. This is not just for you, but for others that follow you in this life. Your children and their children. Your children's cousins. A teacher. A mentor. You pick who would benefit from hearing about your escapades and who you are and the people you loved. Remember- people are curious and they want to know about you. Are you willing to tell a short story for them? This will be fun and enjoyable for all of the participants and encourage all of us to slow things down a bit in our hectic lives.
