There is a man… walking along the edge of a forest with a child walking beside him. The man is breathing smoothly, anticipating his next step: the one into the whispering tree canopy. He knows the child will walk with him as he enters the shadow cast ground.
The first step. Instantly a path emerges leading through the oaks and pines. Steps follow and suddenly a walk is created. The path is winding, yet nothing blocks its direction. The man moves briskly at a steady pace, the child matching his every step. They come to a cedar in the middle of the road. The path circles around the scent giving wood. The man approaches the tree and sees a collection of dew at the base. He steps over to the small pool and drinks the invigorating water. His body begins to tingle, and his senses flare. The child sips the water as well. The same intoxication bursts through him.
Alive. And heightened. The man and the child make the tree their home. The man builds a fortress around the cedar with branches cascading from the top of the canopy down to the needle covered floor. The man and the child go into the forest to explore their surroundings, but they always come back to the cedar, their home. The cedar is what brings their elevated senses.
This man is me. The child is my son. The forest is where I dwell. The cedar is my source. The pool is my awakening. This intro is a glimpse into the pages that will follow. Stories. Insights. Awakenings. Revelations. All written down in this book to grow the man in me. All inscribed in this journal to develop who I plan on becoming. So I will tell exactly who I plan on becoming. A man who understands where glory is, where it comes from, and when to make tough decisions on where glory should reflect on. I plan on seeing the reward from the hard labor invested throughout this duration of love, sacrifice, and fulfillment. And I plan on becoming someone who shows the ones he loves the work that I have completed. Possibility becomes probability when hope takes a chance. This collection will consist of things that will lead myself and others out of the cave and into the freedom of the forest. The man has reached his home. And yes, this man is me.
Written September 1st, 2023
Jake Wentworth 