Foundations

My brother Tucker paid me a high compliment this week. In telling him that I may go back to school to get an MBA, he responded, "Well, Kell, you know you never do anything half ass, so I'm sure it'll work out great." I thought a lot about what he said and appreciated how he viewed me. He believed I lived "pedal to the medal"—not necessarily in the context of speed, but in commitment.

And at the end of the day, it's true, and I'm willing to pay myself that compliment. I am committed. I am committed to my family. I am committed to my friends. I am committed to health. I am committed to searching out, and refining within myself, genuine goodness. But when this philosophy starts to fall apart for me is when the future is so uncertain that I'm unsure where my footsteps should lie and how safe it is to tie myself to so many unknown variables. But the truth is, I can. And the ingredients to do it are this: faith and hope. Sometimes these two principles to me are like clouds, these light, happy, fluffy things we talk about to keep us from giving up. But really, they are the earth instead. Hope and faith (coupled with commitment) are the foundation of a fully lived life. While we can't see them, touch them, or taste them, they are more solid than anything we can currently reach out and hold. And most importantly, they are as solid as we decide them to be.

So here's to my commitment to a future that is new and unknown, but always grander than I imagine. And here's to walking toward it all on the unshakeable foundation of faith and hope.