I’m not talking about the birds and the bees. I’m talking about the proverbial, arms wide open, here. Does the question itself send you down a spiral of thoughts and flashbacks of all the choices you’ve made, things you’ve done, and people you’ve learned from ever since you were a child? Just me? Ok.

According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, the definition of “here” is being, “in, at, or to this place or position” (Webster, 2023). However, the concept of here is much more complex. You could think about how you got to the physical place you are in right now, or the current milestone you are hitting in your life. Maybe you’re traveling. Maybe you’re tripping. Maybe, you don’t really know. I mean, aren’t we all just floating on a rock through space and hoping for the best?

Maybe your here is actually a there. I think it is safe to say we have all experienced this. “Sorry guys, I’m checked out. I can’t do this anymore”. Whether it’s that 3pm slump at work, you’ve lost your shit on your entire family 3 times today already, or you simply cannot stand the thought of the space- physically, mentally, or emotionally- that you are in, and you use that cool transportation device housed in your skull to take you elsewhere. Maybe you LOVE the space you’re in and you transport to even lovelier times. THAT is the magic of here.

Use it well. Use it up. Let it be. Share it with others. Take it for yourself. You can be wherever your here is for you, but be all there…safely.

So I ask again. How did you get here? Sitting, standing, hiding from your family, looking for more, looking for less, just looking. How did you reach where you are mentally, physically and emotionally? It didn’t just happen. Choices were made, plans were changed or followed, people came and went. I think we often forget that we are an accumulation of “here”. Your here of today is not the same as yesterday, a year ago, or even 10 minutes ago. We are constantly evolving as beings, without even putting forth much effort- and I hope we never stop.

The truth is, I don’t know how you got here; to this corner of the internet. How you stole a few minutes from your own life to read the ramblings of mine… but I’m glad you did. If there is one thing I hope to share, it is my here. This space. A space that will hopefully be a space of understanding, love, and belonging. Come as you are. Leave with what you wish.