How Did I Get Here?

"How did I get here?"


Do you ever step back from your life and wonder that to yourself?


Here is the super-short version of how we got here, to become The Simpson Six:


Well, once upon a springtime, a 19-year-old-hippie-college-guy passed a 21-year-old-wide-eyed-and-in-her-own-world-college-gal in the middle of the street and he crossed his eyes at her. She went back to her girlfriends and informed them that Jason Simpson was going to be her new best friend. We attended a small college...so even if you didn't *know* someone, you at least knew who they were--especially if he had hair past his shoulders and never wore shoes.


Then a few weeks later they happened to be diving into the same rock quarry one afternoon after classes with some mutual friends and she caught him staring at her (and he probably caught her staring back). Well, let's fast forward about 4 months to the end of the summer when "Boy Who Does Strange Things With His Eyes" and "Miss Stephanie" finally, officially met...and were instantly inseparable...and so began the start of life as we know it.


Some things are easier than others to pinpoint exactly how you got to where you are now.


What about how you got to the city where you live? Can you pinpoint the moment that led you to the place that you call home? What about the neighborhood (or not) where you live and the house or apartment where you reside?

What about the car that you drive? Or did you make a conscious decision not to own a car? How did you get there?


What form of exercise to you enjoy? Do you enjoy exercise? How did you land on the level of activity that you currently practice?


What is your occupation? Do you have an occupation? Is it by choice or by chance that you are in this role or not at this time? Is this occupation a long-term career that you plan to remain in? For how long? Is it a short-term job that is right for right now? Are you living your dream?


How did I get here?


What foods do you choose to consume? Do you know why you choose to purchase the foods that you eat when you visit the grocery store each week? Do you visit the grocery store each week? How did you learn to cook what you eat, or when did you decide that you were not going to cook your own meals?


If you practice a religion or call a faith your own, how did you get there? Do you know why you believe and do not believe that which you do? What led you to those decisions?


We are the sum of our experiences, but can we always recall what experiences have shaped us to be who we are today? 


How did I get here?


Do you live your life with a purpose in mind and can you point to the markers along the way that have led you to where you are today? If you look back, can you see the answer to "How did I get here?"


More importantly, do you like where you are? Life is not a game of chance. Live intentionally. 


When you look for the answer to "How did I get here?", may you have a smile in your heart as you recall the moments in which you made the little decisions that pointed you in the direction of living the life that you want to live. Even if it's as seemingly insignificant as crossing your eyes at the cute girl in the middle of the street, or smiling back at the barefoot hippie crossing his eyes at you, may you always find the answer to "How did I get here?".