Go West Young Man, Part I

Life has a funny way of revealing itself sometimes. The vast majority of times we are confronted with moments that seem to be directing our fate or destiny, it is emotional--a feeling or emotion of 'can do' or 'should do'--and yet the rest of the time we are faced with more obvious and physical reminders--subtle hints and 'signs' that help confirm or deny our journey. For me, Life has once again presented herself, but this time symbolically, in the form of a final trip, to close out yet another period of transition within my life.

I have experienced many transitions, some self-induced and others, purposed. I have decided to write about the final two weeks I will spend on the road, before I transition to yet a new phase and chapter of my historical life, and close out on another aspect of the journey and quest that has epitomized the essence of my soul. We shall call this series of articles...Go West Young Man.

Of the many hats I have worn in my life, from son, brother, friend, baseball player, to Marine, Husband, Father, Computer Technician, I have gained experience. I have had the priviledge to taste waters from many wells and in the course of my short period of life, I have lived more than most men years older than myself. Some of the things I have experienced have become remarkable reminders of the goodness of life and others, foul reminders of what not to do. The most recent span of attempt, accomplishment and taste has come in the life most people have come to know on a greater, more personal aspect--that of author, radio host, publicist and writing instructor. I have dedicated the last five years of my life to learning everything there is to know--and do--within a professional literary capacity--and although, like all the other hats I have worn before, I gave my all--sometimes, we are but to experience a sample of something we want, to use for something greater down the road. Ironically, I am actually on that fare-thee-well road as I write this article, the final mental and physical push towards closing out a great aspect of my life, and like the miles of road I will leave behind me on the highway, a means to find resolution emotionally.

I recently shut down Ozuna Publications and with that, my novel, Proud Souls, will come off the 'viral' bookshelf. I am attempting to sale the last copies, leaving only a handful behind, one for me, and one for each of my children. I accepted an invitation to perform some conference and class work for my client in Houston, Austin and San Diego and getting there means miles and miles of driving. And as I sit in this quaint little motel in Flagstaff, Arizona tonight, I can't help but think how fitting it is that I close out my literary career with one final trip across miles of America, as I have done thousands and thousands of (miles) times before...alone...with plenty of time to prepare mentally for the next phase of my life--student and teacher.

It is my hope that upon my return I will begin work as an adjunct instructor with a local community college, and also my hope to begin offering writing classes for both students and adults in the city of Arlington, Fort Worth and the North Richland Hills area. In the meantime, I am returning to school to complete a task I started in 1993, some seventeen years ago. I will begin my junior year in August of this year, working towards completing my Bachelor's in Psychology, while also working to complete four more history classes to help validate my historical/educational knowledge as I work towards becoming a high-school history teacher and baseball or softball coach. So, as one chapter of my life comes to a close again, a new one begins...that of instructor, teacher, and student. I will dedicate the next two complete years of my life to completing my degree and working to gain the necessary hours of experience to enhance my ability to teach, so that one day, I can become the well-rounded, fitting teacher your children deserve.

I leave for Los Angeles tomorrow, stopping to see the Grand Canyon on the way out of Flagstaff, Arizona. I will post more pictures and updates of the previous 48 hours of travel tomorrow. For now I felt inclined to offer a snippet of backdrop--what can I say? I'm a writer--for this new series of articles which will cover the next two to three weeks of my life on the road...for yet the last time, for some time to come.

To Be Continued...

Bobby Ozuna

Life Is Like A Puzzle

"Starting Over" is means starting from scratch--nothing, barren, like a hole in the earth waiting to be filled. And Life can be viewed like a 2-sided puzzle, one side representing your former life and the other, representing the new beginning. It takes time to sift through each piece, but one step at a time, one piece at a time, you can start new again, and within the building process, you will discover I believe, more about who you are than you ever would have, had your Life not been cut into a million tiny pieces.

So long as you have breath within your lungs and a mind to learn and a heart hungry to live and love, there will always  be opportunity to create a better, more enriched, cultured and learned tomorrow.

We each have a choice, to view the pieces as they are scattered across the plain of our world as an unwelcome guest, or, we can learn to appreciate the cluttered mess as a chance to build our life the way it was intended, the way we once envisioned it. Having a past that you are ashamed of, or perhaps, having a life that at times was determined and dictated more by the actions of others, can be hard to appreciate.  I speak from experience when I say it hurts, to feel lost and abandoned, unknowing of who you are to become, after having  lost all you thought you once were. But you can  find light within the dark pieces, of the puzzle that is your life and within each of them, determine the lesson learned and use that insight to benefit others. For, it is within the service and approach towards helping others, that you learn to discover your greatest strength and asset: Experience.

As life may have seemed to abandon you, so too should you abandon the past. You will never be your former self and the liberty in that process is knowing you have the power to build the life you always dreamed of, the one you always aspired to become, but may have never reached even a glimpse of that reality. So long as you have breath within your lungs and a mind to learn and a heart hungry to live and love, there will always  be opportunity to create a better, more enriched, cultured and learned tomorrow. And by taking a chance on yourself and finding the strength within each day to complete your Life's puzzle, you offer your  soul liberty. Take joy in knowing you control the pile of pieces that once were your former life and within the sifting and organizing, you can build the life you always wanted...one day at a time...one moment at a time...one piece of the puzzle, at at a time.

...serving the soul of humanity...

~Bobby Ozuna