Struck by Lightning: Here I am Steemit

Hello Steemit! My name is Tarek and I’m builder of things. Whether it is code or awesome structures. Creativity tends to be my strong suit. I've been part of this community for 2 weeks now and I've discovered I thoroughly enjoy writing. I've always had many thoughts but have few places to express them. I have found that the Steemit community offers constructive feedback, which before I had only found from close friends. I am from Ojai, California and I have lived in places like Hawaii and Big Sur. I have discovered that I like to know a few people very well rather than a lot of people barely at all.

When I lived in Big Sur I was at the Esalen Institute, which was founded in 1962 with the intention of exploring the human potential movement. Instead of becoming a new aged woo-woo, my time there has made me value critical thinking regarding spirituality and health. It exposed me to many different fields that are not typically taught in college academia. One of my favorite aspects of Esalen was the fact that we participated in weekly sessions of Gestalt therapy with our work groups. It was the best way for me to build emotional intelligence and to gain a better sense of who I am in relation to others. I managed the farm at Esalen and I thoroughly enjoyed working with the land, growing the food I ate, and teaching others about farming. It was an amazing time in my life. I spent my days soaking in Hot Springs on a cliffside above the ocean and meeting like-minded individuals from all around the world.

I would also consider myself a Burner. For those of you who do not know what a Burner is, it is someone who participates in the annual event called Burning Man. Burning Man is a pilgrimage to Black Rock City where for one week amazing people gather in the desert and enjoy beautiful art that is infused into the landscape and individuals alike. The last two times I went to Burning Man I actually went for 17 days because to build camp Trifucta for our 200 members. Last time I went, my friend Brian and I had to drive this awesome vehicle from Joshua Tree all the way up to Gerlach Nevada. I've been drawn to Burning Man’s philosophies such as leaving no trace, radical inclusion, participation, and gifting society. We attempt to purge ourselves from corporate sponsorship and for a brief time we can enjoy sybaritic freedom.

When your about to get struck by lightning.

When I'm not building physical things, I enjoy working with code. I have worked on a few Bitcoin projects which I don't care to mention because they quickly died out. I'm happy to say I'm in the midst of really a project that I believe will be a great deal of fun. I mostly focus on front-end code but I practice all code daily to work toward becoming a full-stack developer. I have a long way to go but I'm dedicated and persistent.

I've recently become a father to a beautiful daughter named iLy and I am in a wonderful relationship with someone I truly love. Everyday life seems better than I could have dreamed it. I've always liked the idea that I'm in control of my happiness regardless of the situation. I'm also a firm believer in that the older one gets, the better life gets. With the understanding of ourselves, we can overcome any obstacle and find peace with even the greatest wrongdoings. I love to read even though I'm dyslexic... I guess that's where my persistence comes from. Luckily there are a lot of audiobooks these days. I thoroughly enjoy thought-provoking fiction and nonfiction.

Thank you for the warm welcome Steem and I'm happy to be part of this experiment. Here is Part 2 of our farm video. I couldn't find Part 1.