View from the balcony this morning. 

Invested in every morning is the potential to rise above the smoldering ruins of days past or embrace the ashes with open arms. No matter what this sunrise may bring... for the next few hours of darkness, I am free.

I got up earlier than usual this morning. The calm of the city before the commuters flock to their offices was unlike anything I have experienced here thus far. As I ate my breakfast on the balcony and gazed into the gray landscape in front of me I lost myself within the moment.  

My mind was occupied only by the thoughts of one man. A  man without name or origin, a man whom knows no distinct beginning nor definitive end. A man who exists within each breathe and knows no influence other than his own experience, a man who's mind races each night with thoughts of a better tomorrow, a man who burns in the waking sun of his vision, one tomorrow at a time....

My opponent for March 28th pulled out last week, my management and the match-makers for W-1 are working diligently to find another opponent for me. I have not stopped training, I will not stop training... I owe it to myself and those who believe in me to stay on track. I have become accustomed to these set backs, but have gained a stronger sense of purpose and determination living each day to its fullest.

I am training my ass off for an unknown opponent I imagine is training harder than I am... each day I wage a war against myself that does not allow for weakness nor victory, a never ending cycle until bell rings and the real test begins.

Under the arms of a great Sequoia the caterpillar rested in his cocoon.

Shielded from the elements and nurtured for by the giant tree he thrived. One day I will become a beautiful butterfly he thought.

He could hear the hum of chainsaws in the distance but was too comfortable to leave his home...  Ill leave tomorrow he said and went to sleep.

He awoke to a feeling like no other, a feeling that he had never experienced in his life as a caterpillar. He was blinded by the light that engulfed him and blistered by the heat of the sun.

Where was his refuge?

He then realized  that the mighty tree that had given him the opportunity to grow and evolve had been taken away from him.... he was on his own.

What do I do? He thought..

He could could exit his cocoon unsure of wether or not his wings would take him to great heights or... he could allow his home to become a fiery tomb.

I have lived a great life as a caterpillar he thought, but... I have not lived enough.

Where he was off to he did not know, but... he knew this flight was his own.