Zach's Story: The Sweet Life

I have to say that one of my favorite things in life is the power behind people feeling compelled to carry out an act. Acts of service, reaching out in thanks, acknowledging someone for their skills, giving that positive review, paying it forward, generous tips, anything of that nature. The power behind human connectivity and the human experience. I LOVE IT! Feeling that urge to reach out. That feeling that compels you to act. I was recently on the receiving end of an uplifting email and it made my day, and compelled me to compose this blog entry. Thinking about the times that I have been compelled into similar action brings me joy in seeing the responses of others that I have reached out to and I can empathize with the fulfilling/satisfying feeling that takes hold of you on the receiving end. So I urge everyone to carry out these acts more often! There are compelling powers at work in the world and we should all act upon them when they arise! Give that compliment when it is due.

Being back in the New Prague area for work the last couple of weeks has been such a blast from the past. I miss the people of NP, my first grade team at Falcon Ridge Elementary School, Etlin's Cafe, New Prague Trojan sporting events, small town festivals, driving down main street, eating at Lau's Bakery, Montgomery volleyball and bar scene, Home Plate in Le Seur, dancing at Whiskey Business, there are so many things that I miss about that town.  It baffles me to see how my life is shaping itself outside of my envisioned life years ago. After college I had "it all," as I was living in a small town, teaching 1st grade, and thriving. Had my community, my school, my career, made big boy purchases (first new car, etc.), and I was solidified. That was going to be my life and I was ready for the adventure. My roots were beginning to settle in. I love everything about the town, its people, the culture, the feel, and I could see myself growing old there. However, after having

I am going to use this platform through drastically different means than I usually do, so bare with me. These last few months have been quite the roller-coaster as the year 2018 is coming to a close. Meeting parts of myself I had not formally been introduced to, challenges never before seen, new focus and vision, amongst other things. This year has seen a great deal of travel, produced some internal insights that had been previously misunderstood, and the accumulation of memories. This year I can say that I have truly lived! Heart-ache, understanding, opportunity, captivation, joy, adventure, grinding, persevering, all building to the iconic human experience. I have been on a fast track to all things this year. Sprinting to extremes around each turn. Such placelessness and ensnarement, complimented by moments of pure liberation and self discovery. A year to go down infamously as one of polarization. Towards to climactic ending to this year I carried out a 3-month road trip followed up

I want to be a man of many talents: a published author an outdoors man a traveler a competent home development worker a fisherman a man of his word a father a lover a husband a friend to many an inspiration to more a teacher a student a man of depth a story teller a happy man a man warn and withered who still came out ontop a motivator a character a man who endures a man of growth a man that has reached his full potential a farmer a shining light a man of god

I have recently been cast back into the real world for roughly a month.... I will say that this transition back has been quite the task. Having come off my 3-month road trip I found a new motivation, vision, direction, and drive to become a heightened version of myself. Achieving great feats... taking on new learning.... finding fulfillment and to continue to work enthusiastically! However, the real world struck and it struck hard. It took me a month to get back into the hustle and bustle of the real world. Time management has been tough as I have found work consuming a great deal of my life. In all honesty, it has not been pleasant. I feel as though my momentum and achievements have halted as I returned. The passion I had this summer is not being harnessed like before, I do not have the time to pursue the hobbies that I had envisioned taking on, and I am not captivated in the ways I thought possible. However, as I am catching up with the stressors of the real world again, and I am fin

This summer has been formative and informative. So many insights and perspectives have been gained. I truly feel as though I am returning to the world bigger and better than ever. I took on new learning, jumped out of my comfort zone frequently, lived in a variety of settings, met a bigger variety of people, was captivated by nature in ways I had never been before, I gained new focus, priorities shifted. I truly feel as though I have become an adult now. This trip encouraged so much growth and gave me new direction. I am going to be more present when I am at "home" (while still traveling when I can). I am a new fan of alone time and grew more mellow on this trip. Not talking all the time turns out to be quite the relief. New hobbies and interests have been acquired.... it is actually hard to articulate everything that this trip has meant to me, but it has encouraged me to think about teaching again, and doing so in a different state. A bigger focus is going to be placed upon

This summer's Grand Adventure has taken me far and wide, but in all of this time I have found myself spending the most time in New Mexico. Spending 3-weeks in various mountain towns of New Mexico. This is partially due to the fact that my aunt and uncle live in Alamogordo, so there was added incentive, but it is equally due to my love of this place and my desire to live on a mountain. Coming from Minnesota this environment is drastically different from anything that I grew up with. In Minnesota we have deep woods, lakes, and fields of corn... arriving in New Mexico I am finding that there is an impressive amount of environmental diversity. The desert landscapes that are historically pictured in your mind's eye when you envision New Mexico are accurate of some regions, however, they are not indicative of the state as a whole. My trip took me through Texas and into NE New Mexico. Driving through you are going to see cast desert/arid landscapes suited with massive windmill farms,

Throughout my life I have had this vivid imagination, and as I got older I used this imagination to draft up an image of what I wanted my life to be like. Who I wanted to be. What was to come. Now as I have aged the plan has taken on different forms and has become more realistic (in that I RARELY dream about being a nomadic rodeo clown when I grow up anymore...). There are certain things that I know will happen and need to happen: I will be THE GREATEST FATHER to multiple children. I will be an upstanding person in the community, who is involved in many ways. I will have an extensive library. I will have a hammock perch. Those things are a given and now I am starting to hone in on a more solidified vision. As traveling is really starting to take a hold on my life I have this overwhelming desire to go out and EXPERIENCE life. Now I was raving about living  out of state... however, as Jared gets older I want to be around to witness him really grow and develop. Watching his footba

I have spent a handful of time in the SW recently. Having lived/worked in Austin, Texas for a month-and-a-half; camped in the pan handle of Texas at McClellan Lake, trekked into the Palo Duro Canyon, from there I worked on a farm in Tiejeres, NM for a week spent some time in Albuquerque, then spent 3 weeks in Alamogordo (with a casino weekend in Santa Fe). Throughout this time I have really come to appreciate the SW. It has so much more to offer than meets the eye. You can be captivated by the vast desert expanses, admire all of the mountains on every horizon, experience a culture entirely different from the Midwest, and so much more. Cowboy boots, authentic Mexican food, 2-steppin, country/latina music, dry heat, simple living to mega-cities, the SW is a unique place. You can go from mountain towns, to towns that make you feel like you are in ol' mexico, to meccas all in a day. Down here even the sun beats down on you differently. Life down here is so drastically different that

My GRAND ADVENTURE, the trip of a lifetime! Well I have traveled through half of my summer of purposeful placelessness and I have experienced so much. This trip has been more than I could have asked for. Transformations are beginning to take shape in me, I have seen and been captivated in ways that are hard to put into words, information has been absorbed, new experiences have been chased down. When friends ask me about my trip it is almost like a chore to begin, not because I dislike talking about it, rather that there is so much information to present to them. Feels, sights, sounds, connection... these are not easy to pass along via word of mouth (and I consider myself to be quite the orator!!!). However, in thinking about my travels and my wanderlust there is a part of my finding myself feeling immense gratitude for certain aspects of my "day-to-day" life. I always say this but the grass is not always greener. For clarification I am not saying that I want to be home or t

The Odyssey, and folklore of the time, often depicts these mystical beings called  Sirens . These creatures demonstration special abilities as they were a symbol of lust and longing for explorers on the sea. Perched on rock formations, jutting out from the sea, these  Sirens  would lure men to them with a hypnotic song. Weary seamen would then seek out this beautiful song and would end up shipwrecked and marooned on a small island (if they were lucky). On a less morbid note, I view myself as responding and being in-tune with the  Sirens  call of the wild. My mind set differs from a large portion of my peers. The meal prepped week, 9-5 business day, and debt fumblings make me squeamish. There will always be time to build up your savings, but the time to explore is NOW. In fact, the time was yesterday. In this growingly globalized world we have access to limitless opportunities. To think about living in the confines of a land-locked system scare me.  So in life, I have sought out a d

My Summer Grand Adventure is underway. My first stop has taken me to Iowa (I know, of all places....) BUT I have had an incredible time whilst here. This town and the farm that I am working on have surprised me in many ways. Through WWOOF I am working in Fairfield, Iowa on a tiny house village/farm. Through my work I have learned a great deal. Building bridges over creeks, cutting framing for a future tiny house (out of Telephone Poles!), and so on. Doing all of this, while getting a nice tan simultaneously. Trekking into town I found that Fairfield is a very progressive town. Not what one would expect from a place in Iowa, amongst farm land. Wasn't there a saying about judging books by their cover? This town is a booming city in terms of sustainability and environmentally friendly farming/business. My host lectured me on the implications of organics, sustainability/regenerative agriculture, solar energy, and so on. The city is a hub for a Eastern Meditation Movement, organic agric

This summer is quickly approaching and I can feel all of the jitters that come with it. I can feel myself feeling equally as excited..... as nervous/anxious. Primarily about funds and bills back home. However, this is just my comfort zone trying to combat my opportunities of growth (or is it common sense sticking it's nose in my business?). Either way I am SOOOO ready to chase discomfort! I am ready to experience vast growth, realignment, new perspectives, EXPERIENCES, and memories. This will be the best summer of my life and I am fully ready to emerge as an entirely new man (for the better I hope). Might just come back as a cowboy!

I am having a hard time settling into a day-to-day lifestyle. Why should any day be the same when we are promised so few? Lately I have been reaching out to find and experience all things new, trying to look out for my consumption as I am trying to be more environmentally conscious, and I have had this intensifying itch to go out into the world. Seeking new work experiences, new destinations, new experiences of any kind, in this year alone I have taken on many FIRSTS (ranging from Texas 2-stepping to eating homemade Crawdad jumbalaya). Meeting new people and hearing their stories of adventure have been shaping my life this year. Online I look up videos of tiny houses, extensive travel plans, backpacking classes, and more. Most of my recent book choices have involved exploration and backpacking lately too! So I am hereby saying that I will spend this next year traveling as much as I can. I have got all the time in the world to settle down, so why waste my mobile time staying put.... thi

I can feel the tides of change coming to me. There are opportunities that are presenting themselves to me. Within this year alone I have flown on a plane and traveled more (in terms of trips/year) than any other time in my life. I have lived out of state for a summer, traveled to Chicago a handful of times, lived in Texas for 6 weeks, spent 9 days in Amsterdam (visiting Europe for the first time), traveled to Kansas City for 2 weeks, and I am currently gearing up to travel for an ENTIRE summer! There is also some potential for me to live in Washington for 3 weeks (while working), as well as, a chance at farming in Thailand for 2 weeks. There are so many opportunities in life and I want to take hold and grasp as many as I can while I am given this chance. With all of that being said, there is also a great strain in terms of finances for these trips.... while also paying a massive amount of bills at home. So in the back of my mind as I travel I find myself coming back to these worr

I have had the great privellage of working down in Texas for 6 weeks and I have had quite the time whilst here. Sitting in the Texan heat during the worst time of the Minnesota winter may be swaying me, but I can definately see myself staying here. I could be a forever cowboy and a forever TEXAN! In Minnesota it is currently -20 degrees while I am getting a tan in 75 degree heat. During my time here I found that Texas is not at all what I thought it was..... there are hills and greenery. There aren't cowboys every where and cows are not free roaming. Granted I am in Austin, TX which stands by it's uniqueness (when compared to the rest of Texas). I am enjoying the hip side of Texas but I also appreciate the old Texas feel. You will still hear some sothern accents, see cowboy hats, and loads of boots, there are tacos and barbuque on every corner, rodeos frequently, and I could get used to the sothern hospitality. Austin itself is one of the most fit cities, and it shows. It has a

Summer Trip! Here is a rough outline of my summer adventure proposal. I will be working as I go through WOOOF and I am hoping to bunk up with friends living in certain destinations. Blogging along the way. There is potential for people to tag along during certain stretches, if that is the case. Let me know! I will also be attempting to teach summer school while down in New Mexico with my aunt and uncle. During my time in NM I will be flying back for a volleyball tournament and gathering in MN. Buffalo Lake Days! It is an annual tradition. My trip will begin mid June and I am assuming that I will make it back around August. That is the initial plan anyways. We shall see how it all plays out. Ideally, I would like to have around 4 grand invested into this trip as a cushion. Again, we will see how this all plays out and goes.

This movie was incredible! It surpassed all of my expectations and even exceeded the reviews of my family and peers. There is so much power in this movie and the messages that it teaches will leave you speechless. Love can conquer any obstacle or circumstance. There are forces in the world that pull together and transpire/manipulate for true love. Greed is blinding and it is a deepening hole that cannot be filled and only leads a person into despair. It touches on priorities through a change of heart and that through all of the fame and glory, the only thing that really matters is ones family and those one surrounds themselves with. It is a story about leaving what is comfortable and what the world wants you to be.... to follow your true calling and your dreams. Leave the comfort of your normal life to become who you want to be and who you were destined to be. BE TRUE TO YOURSELF! Never let others make you feel lesser, that you are not important, or that you are not worth it.