Just Because

Random posts that I write about.

“My God, I’ve arrived. I’m there”, why your life is not a journey

September 20, 2019

Thought evoking YouTube video, Why Your Life is Not a Journey. "We simply cheated ourselves the whole way down the line. We thought of life by an analogy with a journey, with a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at the end the thing was to get to that end, success, or whatever it is, or maybe heaven after you're dead. "

Pen to Paper, fingers to keyboard, what are they writing?

January 31, 2019

Flying home from New York (JFK) to Atlanta I notice two people seated one before the other along the aisle. Each in deep focus, broad, yet one can see, a different approach. The woman in 25E, MacBook powered up, PowerPoint open, scrolling through presentations, spreadsheets, listening to her air buds, frequently pausing, raising her hand to her face, searching graphics, tapping backspace, edit and delete. The gentleman in 26E, leather-bound journal open, fine point ink pen, listening to Spotify […]

Clarity

April 16, 2018

Returning to Yoga last month has improved my physical but even more, my spiritual health. Each journey was concluding with food for thought leaving my mind racing. Yesterday, Tricia shared the intention, "Clarity." Clarity defined as; the quality of being clear, in particular. the quality of coherence and intelligibility. The quality of being easy to see or hear; sharpness of image or sound. With each movement, I continued to remind and reinforce, Clarity. The class ended, but the journey conclu[…]

The Magnitude Factor of 49, The Math – Orlando

June 12, 2016

First thing this morning Nick began updating me on the Orlando news before getting out of bed. Thinking to myself, the counts have to be wrong, and once it's confirmed it won't be that bad. Departing the city and the connection online to kayak was a blessing. The Magnitude Factor of 49 (excluding shooter), victims that lost their life in Orlando early this morning. I believe those that lost are souls we lost, not simply victims. 49 - People confirmed as of 18:53. 77.9 - Average Life Expectancy i[…]

Farewell to my best buddy, my shadow, Jasmine the Beagle

May 4, 2016

I have been struggling over the past 10 days on coming to terms with the passing of my best friend, Jasmine the beagle. I felt it fitting to share the story of Jasmine in my life, how she chose me, and her final few minutes with me last Monday. In early November 2006, Victor and I were casually walking along Mag Mile. We entered the shopping center to visit Nordstrom, along the path we ran into a baby beagle rescue available for adoption. The scent of the puppy, nibbling on my fingers, my heart […]

A craving for empanadas & beer that helped to make my life whole

March 7, 2016

Struggling to see my monitor with the vibrant light of the sun blinding me as it begins to set over the rooftops. I hit mental roadblocks in adding to this blog when too many topics cross my mind; Life, learnings, friendship, quotes, love, sadness and my journey exploring the Human Element. A rollercoaster of a Sunday, two friends added rich context to the fragile nature of life, and in response to the warp speed of life my adopted mom said "Yes it does. Never realized it when I was 36[…]

Undercover Boss, Clergy and a Californian

February 16, 2016

My adventure to Europe with my sister is coming to an end, posting this from Delta 170, CDG-MSP. Heidi with Delta has been top notch, a great trip back to the US. Trump, that’s the Apprentice... am I the Undercover Boss… say what? Over the past week I had three interactions which made me reflect on my journey in life and give thought to pivotal moments that changed me. A quick search through my site, I found a post from July 2, 2011, Helping out a Stranger in the Armed Forces, Reflecting Back on[…]

The frail Dove takes flight and how we can live to Infinity

July 8, 2015

What the hell do I write about? I wish I could yell at the top of my lungs, give out hugs, call my family, say I love you to everyone. My heart has ached all day,how I feel tonight in my heart. On May 15th, I wrote about Jane Mitchell and her daughter Gretchen - Blog Post : An unsung hero, daughter battling cancer, will you dance? At 12:26 am Gretchen's soul took flight to the heavens above, leaving behind her husband, two baby girls, and her mother Jane. From the time it took me to write that […]

Need a Puzzle! 1000 Piece Jigsaw, Operation, Jenga, Rubix Cube?

June 30, 2015

Walking the toy aisle doesn’t resemble my time as a kid, picking out the right puzzle. The electronic gaming ushered a different experience, engaging with others yet more solo. I have been giving thought to my life over the past month, being quiet in my posts and hopping off social media briefly. What does my life resemble most to me? 1000 Piece Puzzle - Immediately out of the box I am overwhelmed by the number of pieces. ,Similar colors in the photo, unsure where to begin. I can build the frame[…]

HURRY! Planes, Trains, Automobiles and Abraham Lincoln?

June 2, 2015

On Saturday, May 16th I was fortunate to tour the FAA tower at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport through the New PDK Airport Association. The tower has a 360 wrap around deck where you can see the entire airport and downtown. Photos | Exploring the tallest ATC Tower (ATL) in North America #avgeek Do you remember as a kid when you drew a Perspective? At a view of nearly 400 feet above the worlds busiest airport (2014 Passenger Volume), the wind whispered the word Perspective in m[…]

An unsung hero, daughter battling cancer, will you dance?

May 15, 2015

Often times I find solace in the flicker of candlelight. I lit my hurricane lamp trying to fight back tears, bewildered on the pain on Jane’s heart. I asked for Jane’s permission before adding some personal interactions below. Jane is a mother, grandmother and a friend of so many. I have been fortunate enough to have Jane in my life after only two in person moments, the second time being the Jet Drag. I joined Relay for Life because Jane’s passion for the event, it hit close to home, and the gre[…]

Deep breath, now exhale… You are ALIVE!

May 13, 2015

Gearing myself up mentally for a long day before me tomorrow starting early and non stop meetings. I took a pause last night reflecting on my #TuesdayTakeaway Challenge - Can’t Sleep? Maybe you are NOT living #TuesdayTakeaway Challenge: When you crawl into bed tonight take a moment to give thanks for air in your lungs. Give thought to one thing you will do tomorrow to celebrate being alive. After all, each day when you wake up is a good day. I crawled into bed last night hearing the heavy exhal[…]

7 Days Since Jet Drag, A Blank Stare

May 11, 2015

It have reached a solid brain block in deciphering what and when to compose next. All too often a very familiar trait I have learned of myself is that something which should be simple my mind sees it as quite the opposite. Overthinking, perhaps something with photos, screenshots, outputs, what else more? Do I need to write a longer post to appease people and keep them interested? Can I post an update about #theHumanElement out of sequence to the other happenings in my life? What I ca[…]

VIDEO | Towards the Sun by Rick Mereki #breathtaking #vimeo

March 22, 2014

Last month I ran across a vimeo by Rick Mereki called Move. In February he added "Towards the Sun". If you ever imagined some of the most breathtaking moments of seeing the sun, this video filmed in the Canary Islands, captures them. Take a moment, and enjoy the view. Kudos to #RickMereki . http://vimeo.com/86002097 […]

Article | He Killed Himself After An Argument With His Mom. What She Did Next …

February 23, 2014

Greetings from a Delta 1757 (B752 N661DL) to ATL from SNA. I ran across a story on viralnovelty about a son who killed himself and what his mother did with his ashes for the places in the world he wanted to see. (Article: He Killed Himself After An Argument With His Mom. What She Did Next Is Unbelievable. / 11-Feb-2014 ) After a fight between mom (Hallie) and her 20 year old son (CJ), formerly in the military, the mother created a campaign to have his ashes spread around the world. I hope you en[…]

A Retrospective Look at 9/11, Eleven years later

September 11, 2012

Enjoying Helen today and as it approaches to 1am, I have spent a few minutes of time reflecting on that day in history, 9/11. A day that for our generation will be paramount similar to where were you during Pearl Harbor or when JFK was shot. No doubt you remember where you were when you heard the news, but my story I often try not to think about as it all seems too surreal to fathom. My good friend is a flight attendant for United Airlines, at the time we had all plans to visit NYC, explore the […]

The Person Behind the Pursuit

I'm Douglas. Since 2015 I've been on a relentless pursuit to define The Human Element. The innate quality that draws us closer to one another. One name, one moment, one person at a time. I believe there is light in all of us. This site is my attempt to protect it.
Be humble, be grateful, be true to you.
Read more about the journey →

_{Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.}