The Hidden Man

The projections of his mind were imprinted

upon the canvas of the world.

Wherever he looked,
he saw the things
that shaped his
life. And
they all
faded
away.

The 42

We drove the square cut wooden posts, by hand, almost two meters into the rock strewn hillside to serve as anchors for something new the owner wanted to experiment with. The first set of posts was fairly easy because the thick layer of topsoil had been dampened by the first rain of the season but the further from the base of the hill we got, the harder and rockier the earth beneath us became and we were forced to dig down using small hand shovels until there was a hole large enough to swallow a man and only then could we place the post and fill in the extra space around it. This was strange country. Almost as strange as the high wages we were receiving for the unusual project we now found our selves a part of. I for one had learned to never count on when the rain would come, and sometimes it never did.

What we did count on was the ingenuity of a strange plot developed by a scientific man that had called on the owner three months back. He wore a black suit, and a constant look on his face that hinted at insanity, but, like his suit, was constantly and consciously being smoothed over. The moment I saw that he didn't wear a tie I knew he meant business and that I would never understand the intricately interwoven strands of genius that formed the tapestry of succulent ideas within his head.

When all 42 posts were set into the ground, spray painted black and labeled accordingly, the man in the suit returned with a set of ropes that he carefully arranged in a semi circle at the apex of the hill. He then directed each of us to find a rope and, without touching the fibrous material, to sit facing the large pumpkin field that spread about a quarter of a mile north of where we sat.

After a closer examination of the ropes themselves I noticed a strange feeling slowly settling over me.

"If you haven't felt the static properties of your electromagnetic condensers yet then you will soon enough," said the man in the black suit, with sweat slowly trickling down the top of his bald head into the creases just above his brow, "Gentlemen, today is the day we make our own gods." He twitched as he said it, as if the words gave him a rush of pleasure that he could not conceal.

There was a mustard stain on his white shirt, and he didn't seem to mind.

Love at first site

Everyone, I have an announcement to make: I've met someone new, and I've fallen in love.

From the moment I saw her, I knew I'd found something amazing and life changing. I was so stricken by her beauty and allure that I bore my soul and threw down my guard. No worry in the world could drown the joy I felt.

We journeyed together, and discovered new things about the world and each other. The path was never easy, and she beat me up and made me doubt everything I once knew. But with each new day, I passed a new test. My confidence grew and I was on top of the world. Then she'd throw me back down unexpectedly and my world would shatter.

But no matter how many times I fell, and no matter how many times I stumbled on the way, the view from the top was always worth it. To be there with her, looking out at a world we knew nothing about was the most awe inspiring and beautiful moment of my life. I wouldn't trade her for all the riches of the world.

Her name is Adventure.

The Epic Kansas Recruiting Class 2013-14 - Full Version

Nothing more need be said.

You're not in Oz anymore...

The following is a collection of diary entries of a driver's virgin voyage across Kansas.

What are we running from?

The storm swept through like a raging bull, its apex only lasting about a half hour until the sun came shining through.

Fear of the unknown has an interesting way of seeping in too deep. What was a threatening downpour, matched with a show of lighting and rumble of thunder, became a metaphor of transition and change. As the sun came out, we were caught in a moment somewhere in between and there was a choice to be made:

Embrace the sunshine, or continue to worry about the weather.

I chose the sun:

What are we running from?

Why not just leave this place?

Can we sit in the shade of this tree and fall in love? Just for a moment?

Can we listen to the sound of the wind in its leaves, and imagine the waves breaking onto the shore? Just for a moment?

Can we close our eyes and discover the paradise that surrounds us in this vast concrete jungle? Just for a moment?

Why not just leave this place?