The Gentleman & The Scholar
Who are we? For the sake of this particular collaboration, we are The Gentleman and The Scholar. We are childhood friends who have found ourselves on a search for self. A journey to authentic identity. We smirk at the irony of it, and can speak singularly on it henceforth as I.
I have begun a journey that I will most likely be on the rest of my life. I started many moons ago, but it wasn’t until this year that I actively realized and pursued the search for self-awareness and self-understanding.
I have been exceedingly surprised and honestly scared by my quest so far, as I’ve made many changes in a life that I have royally screwed up. For the first time, I want to chase my best self, my true self, in order to find meaning and purpose and my ultimate potential in life.
I am many things. I am my experience, my thoughts, my feelings, my strengths, my weaknesses. I am a recovering addict. I am a machinist. I am a counselor. I am a writer. I am a photographer.
I am a music and travel enthusiast, a seeker and student of the human experience.
Our love for the creative arts will be a focus in many forms, as we try to express the importance of others, the world around us, all aspects of life, the beauty and the dark side. We are individuals with a passion for life, people and the interconnection between the two.
Our purpose here is to understand and accept the broken, the outcast, the strange, all people, from all walks of life. To find the meaningful connection, because we truly believe life is about connection with other human beings; we all have more impact than we know on each other and the environment that we are a part of. With the goal of understanding ourselves better we can understand others, and maybe help others accept themselves, so they in turn can understand others. And the ripple continues.
What the Observatory is:
Consider the Gas Station a meeting of the minds.
People of all different creeds and perspectives in all parts of the world walk into gas stations during their lifetime and paths are crossed. Many of our realizations come to us while traveling through and experiencing the world. On the road, whatever the destination or however you travel, gas stations endear visitors with a familiar warmth that is otherwise lost in the bustle of the journey.
We are all mostly bustling down the roads of life not appreciating or even understanding how to appreciate the joy and art present in a mindful, authentic life. But this way of being is possible around bad coffee and surly attendants or 2 for 1 waters and boxes of the only good Cliff bar flavor (chocolate brownie). We just have to consciously stop, fill the tank, and go inside.
So instead of just coming and going, come in and stay awhile. Get to know yourself a little and someone else–you never know what serendipitous event awaits. And for god sake laugh a little. Life is funny.
Welcome to the Gas Station Observatory, my friends. We on this blog are your cashiers, your Conoco Bert and Ernie, two imperfect beings trying to figure out this thing called life.