Photo by celebrity photographer Adam Bouska in support of Marriage Equality and Proposition 8 opposition in California (2011)

Marriage equality. It is the civil rights movement of our generation and could very well be the last and final hurtle in foreseeable social wrongs being righted for good. What is very interesting about this debate is that religious understandings of the last century are proving to define the debate and are used to demonstrate that apparently the concept of same-sex committed relationships is but a new “deviant” problem to be dealt with. The version of history that I was taught in both secondary education and college is one quite different from this painting of society.

Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome all had their fair share of same-sex partnerships. In fact their definition of a healthy relationship would put the general modern evangelist in shock if it were perpetuated today. Even more ironic is the fact that the Old Testament of the bible illustrates an even more profound insight to the evolution of human sexuality.

Now I know that we have clearly evolved from many if not all practices that were so inherent to the wrongs of our past, but one principle that in the most modern of times we have held to is the knowledge that the only way to truly thrive as a society is to honor and grant equal rights to all people. This is most especially held true in areas where it is known that the individual has no choice in the matter of what sets them apart from the rest of the fold.

Throughout the last century we have knocked down preconceived notions that a woman’s place is in the home and seen the results through extraordinary accomplishments and achievements from critical health advances to heads of state. We recognized that holding an entire race hostage to the color of their skin could no longer be permitted and that we must work with every fiber of our being to ensure equal and unfettered access to the fruits of life, liberty and happiness. And today we see the culmination of a 30 year struggle of the GLBT community that has seen its share of successes and major setbacks in the past few years.

So why is marriage equality so important? Check out Project 515, whose main charter outlines “515 Ways Minnesota Laws Discriminate Against Couples and Families, which identifies at least 515 state laws that discriminate against families based on marriage.” And that is just in Minnesota. But this is where the next battle ground will be fought between religious and social extremists and a segment of society scraping desperately for the approval of a largely uninformed electorate. But this is a pivotal opportunity for the people of Minnesota.

Much in the way that New York State became a groundbreaking win for the marriage equality movement, Minnesota has a unique opportunity to be the first state in the union to all out reject a constitutional amendment that would codify discrimination into a state’s most sacred document. I have to believe with true faith and understanding that the state which I was born and raised and now call home can demonstrate to the nation that this is where we stand up and say “No! We shall make a stand and end discrimination here today.”

In Minnesota we value many things; our natural resources, our eduction system, public and social services, and above all the freedom and intuition of a people determined to thrive in the coldest region in the country. We also value strong families, loving homes and community. This is why as a state we can and must reject the notion that we can hold these values yet still say to a local minority that you are welcome to contribute to this society – just don’t expect to have any benefit or reward from it. After all, in many regards, the fight for marriage equality is this generations suffrage movement and civil rights cause.

Photo by Simon Scott Stromberg in support of MN Love and Marriage Equality in Minnesota (2011)

Marriage equality is not about damaging the sanctity of marriage (believe me with the divorce rate as it is, there are plenty of heterosexuals doing a good job at this). This is about strengthening the sanctity of marriage. This is about saying to the world that we believe in bringing two people together, who wish to commit to themselves and the world to love an cherish one another. We believe in how love brings about family in all its forms and that family is not defined by mom, dad and the kids. Family is about grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, friends, neighbors and yes – loving and committed same-sex partners.

This issue is too important to ignore and far to important to leave to faith. We must get out and start the conversation. Talk to your neighbors, your parishioners, your family. Tell them how important their vote is in November 2012 and make sure they fully understand how it will effect the 13,000+ GLBT Minnesota couples and the future of our state.

Although we struggle with the issue of marriage equality today, we stand firm in knowing that this entire western ideal is a moving target. One that will never ultimately be finished which is what makes it truly amazing. The idea that we can create a better future and continue that creative drive into a better and more prosperous tomorrow.

And finally I’ll leave you with a cool new viral video that is circulating the web. A small glimpse at the beauty of love and a moment in my own life that I aspire to.

Some helpful and useful links for information:

• Minnesotans United for Marriage
• Project 515
• OutFront Minnesota
• Human Rights Campaign
• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
• Freedom to Marry
• Family Equality Council

Follow this link to view the recent testimony on the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, very eye opening.  http://www.senate.gov/fplayers/CommPlayer/commFlashPlayer.cfm?fn=judiciary072011&st=xxx

There are two people who have become my closest friends and adventurists in life.

Merrie Sue Holtan was one of my communications professors at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.  Wife of a pastor and self proclaimed baton twirling girl of crazy wonderment, Merrie Sue played a significant role in how OPEN came to being.

Sarah McCurdy, whom I remember fondly coming in as a freshman (I was a sophomore at the time), was just starting what would become an amazing career both on and off camera in news. Of course this couldn’t start until she received a few style tips from me and Merrie Sue wrapped us into our first great adventure.

You see, Merrie Sue discovered a story about Nancy Burggraf, a woman who had transformed the world of hockey in a quiet but incredibly significant manner. Around the end of my junior year in college, Merrie Sue and Sarah had begun a quest to bring this story to the masses for all to share.  Shortly before my senior year this quest would soon loop me in and the three of us would go on to produce, direct, edit and slave away to create a feature documentary film that would move thousands and start a journey that none of us could imagine.

As we wrapped the film festival and premier tours we sat down for dinner at a restaurant in downtown Fargo to reflect and celebrate. During that meal someone (I can’t quite remember who) brought up the idea that what Fargo was really missing was a classy reputable magazine publication that could share with the world the stories of this place we called home and grew to love so well. Needless to say, Merrie Sue continued teaching at Concordia, Sarah became a reporter for the local NBC affiliate and later on to teach at the University of North Dakota and I went on to work in corporate America.

Fast forward 5 years and via a stroke of luck I was blessed with an opportunity to venture out on my own and start FrostFire Media. Granted we started out as a small consulting firm, but for the last 5 years this idea of telling stories through print kept circulating in my mind. I even remember having conversations with Kathy Leingang, my printing rep when I worked for DaimlerChrsyler, regarding numbers and formatting of a potential city magazine for Fargo.

Well, in about November of 2006, three months after going out on my own I began crunching numbers an opportunity to tell even more stories. I called up Merrie Sue who had become a mentor over the years and asked if we could meet.  In a kitchen in the Oak Grove neighborhood of Fargo we came to one conclusion. It’s just crazy enough it might work.

With Merrie Sue on board as managing editor and the extreme design talents of Phil Lowe, a graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead and close friend, we started planning for what would break on to the scene and really OPEN things up.

Several names floated around for the next couple of months but one stood out, OPEN. It fit perfectly really.  Fargo had become open to change, open to progress, open to new immigrants, open to possibility, arts and imagination. In away the openness was a renaissance of sorts. In less than six months the first issue of OPEN Magazine hit stands with a story of a husband and wife team that brought a small dream of a marathon and developed it into a signature regional event.

Soon Sarah McCurdy would join the team and really whip us into shape as we became an organized engine that was not just all hard work, but fun and exciting at the same time. Over the next 3 years we would create 10 issues a companion business publication and most importantly delivery of over 60 stories of amazing people doing remarkable work.

Now as with many stories, this one too had to come to an end.  A major natural disaster and economic downturn created conditions that would not permit the continuation of these two publications. However as I sit in my warm home during the first winter snow of the year I can’t help but ponder what we accomplished. The stories and relationships that as a team we built will live on well past any of us, but it dawned on me that the best way to ensure this is to make a home where everyone can view and share in the dialogue.

All weekend I have been combing through the digital archives and preparing each issue for publishing online. It amazes me really what we accomplished in such a short time.

Having never published a magazine before, we were able to create not only an award winning publication, but an artistic masterpiece that managed to influence a community and change it forever. I encourage you to click on the below issues and reminisce on what it means to be open in your life. How one person can make a difference and change the world. I know I’ve been inspired over and over and I hope you will too.

Now without further adieu, here is the 10th and final issue of OPEN, never before seen by the  public and the 9 issues preceding it.

If you have difficulty viewing the issues below feel free to go to the repository site at http://www.issuu.com/openmagazine/

OPEN Magazine: Issue 10 // Fall 2009
The last and final unpublished issue of OPEN Magazine.

OPEN Magazine: Issue 9 // Summer 2009
Commemorating the flood that put Fargo in the center of national media attention.

OPEN Magazine: Issue 8 // Spring 2009

OPEN Magazine: Issue 7 // Winter 2008

OPEN Magazine: Issue 6 // Fall 2008
This issue broke ground as the first time a person of color graced the cover of a magazine in the Fargo/Moorhead community. Fowzia is a remarkable women, not just in stunning beauty as seen in her cover shot, but in her amazing heart that has helped many Somali immigrants in the region.

OPEN Magazine: Issue 5 // Summer 2008

OPEN Magazine: Issue 4 // Spring 2008

OPEN Magazine: Issue 3 // Winter 2007
This issue featured our first fashion spread which would become a Winter/Summer tradition. Our most ambitious shoot with three locations in one day.

OPEN Magazine: Issue 2 // Fall 2007

OPEN Magazine: Issue 1 // Summer 2007

This friend and I had a revelation at the gym the other night in regards to obesity among young people in this country. We reminisced on times in elementary school when we had to “prove” our fitness by who could do the most pull-ups or sit-ups, run the fastest and throw the furthest. We also recalled how embarrassing it was when you were graded in the lower percentile of achievement. Basically, it’s what we all think of gym. Competition.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is by no means going to become one of those new age iterations on how competition is bad and how we should all be equal. Quite the contrary, I think competition is great! However, one thing as an adult re-entering the world of the physically fit, I’m realizing that the approach to the gym is far different than that I remember as a child.

My first session day at the gym in early August had a unique focus that I found quite odd in comparison to memories of my youth. I had engrained this idea that I must attempt to out lift and out perform the person I was working out with. All the while my friend kept urging me to just focus on what I actually could accomplish to start out and that you ultimately build up endurance and strength over time. Novel concept I know, but hard to grasp when faced with competitive inklings from the past.

Bottom line, the main reason I steered clear of the gym all these years was a basic fear of the ridicule and failure that I endured as a child. I was never the strongest or fastest by far. Sports were never my thing and a desire to excel and compete in the physical category was never a priority. I was an arts kid.

I think it’s fair to say that we all have strengths and we all have weaknesses and one of our greatest weaknesses as a society has been the fulfillment of a competitive nature solely focused around sports. We fail to realize that we all can excel in various areas of study. But we don’t always have to compete in all those areas. So why do we force children into categories rather than find their strengths, celebrate those and work to discover the weaknesses and work to improve

Fundamentally it’s a change of attitude towards childhood physical education, one that perhaps we should tackle sooner rather than later. Perhaps the gym teachers of the world could learn a lot from the trainers the adults are using. I sure did.

So to the PhyEd teachers out there, instill a love from an early age to be physically fit. Embrace the kids who are geniuses in math and science, always take to center stage in the school play or nab that solo every chance they get in choir and band. Your legacy is to ensure that they embrace a lifelong goal to be healthy so that they can continue to compete, excel and thrive in their respective fields for many years to come.

You see, not only is it my 31st birthday tomorrow, but it also marks 8 weeks since my move to Minneapolis from the place I called home for the last 11 years. As I begin the celebrations tomorrow I also give pause for the many friends back in Fargo that are beginning what is quickly becoming a yearly fight to hold back flood waters. I’m wishing you all a great deal of strength, patience and courage as you face this yearly foe. Remember the waters will rise, the community will come together and as it does every year, the Red will calm and grace the region with its multitudes of blessings.  Here’s also hoping that the political powers that be can move swiftly towards a solution that will eliminate this problem permanently.

A thank you to the community of Fargo, North Dakota. It was there in one of the most unusual of places that this individual’s wildest dreams came to fruition and the foundation of a life yet fully realized created. You provided me with a phenomenal college education at Concordia. Your commitment and fortitude to education excellence has brought forth some of the most capable graduates in the region. Partnered with tremendous collaborations with business and government these graduates will change the world in ways they cannot even imagine yet.

To big companies with a strong Fargo presence, thank you for the opportunity to learn, grow and be challenged preparing me to become the marketing communications and business professional I am today.

Furthermore, thank you for the opportunity to drive a successful corporate career into one of private enterprise, where a community rallied around a small group of mid twenty-somethings to create a media company that would forever change the way Fargo/Moorhead viewed itself.

Finally, to friends and supporters – your faith and ability to see the grander vision is always and will be forever appreciated. The journey and path, although not always easy, produced results that we can all be proud of. A wake still flows both with celebration and challenge and only time will tell how the full story will end. I know deep down that the ties and memories that bind us together will show its grace as the future progresses.

A new home emerges now with challenges, friends and opportunities uniquely its own. The last 8 weeks have been remarkable and memorable. As many can attest, the process of moving to a new city and laying a new level to the house of life can be daunting. However it is the memories and experience I have gained to date that I know will propel me further on this road. I know I have the tools, knowledge and support to go out and accomplish whatever it is I set my sights on.  What will that be? Only time will tell.

Starting anew can be one of the greatest adventures life brings to us. A chance to reinvent, grow and learn. Today I focus on two things, giving back to the community that brought me this far, and investing in the community that I now choose to call home. I’m becoming connected and involved, feeling as though I’m once again home.

The big question for those that know me well I’m sure is what will I be doing next. Honestly its a question that even I don’t know the answer to yet. Since coming to Minneapolis I continue my consulting work, my work with the American Diabetes Association and have started work with a few other non-profits helping to formulate strategies to attract greater giving and organizational efficiency. I do continue to keep my eyes peeled for new opportunities that seem to emerge every day. I desire a return to life in the corporate sector, however also look forward to dabbling in new ventures that can further transform the world around us.

So as tomorrow rolls around, I mark a few more milestones in life and celebrate the potential that only the future fully knows.

I find that many people have a sense of real fear and anxiety that comes along with taking on the challenge of choice.  It’s the questions that hang us up and stop us from really taking advantage of the opportunity.

There are all the “what if’s” in life that scare us.  What if this happens? What if that happens? For those that know me well, I have a theory here. Whatever the choice in life may be, always eliminate the “What if’s.” I remember saying to myself back in middle school, “no matter what I experienced in life, I would hope that I would never look back on anything and say ‘What if?’” This is when you really start missing out and begin to develop regret.

These “What If” questions pop up in ways big and small. Could I really be a homeowner? Do I really have what ti takes to do this job? Can I really make it through college? Should I plant corn in the garden? The truth is, you’ll never know until you choose to eliminate the “What If”. When you do this you’ll find yourself completely empowered. Now I’m not saying over extend yourself, we all must learn to live within our means and our limits. But its perfectly well to push the envelope.

Another aspect in life where choice is important is when it comes to relationships. We can all relate to the varying complexities that revolve around our interactions with other people. There are the co-workers you just sort of deal with, the ones you enjoy happy hour with after work and those that eventually make their way into your personal life. Likewise with friends there are those that you must maintain on a regular basis in order to properly and effectively keep the relationship going. Then there are those friends that no matter how long the distance, every time you meet you can talk and converse as though no time ever passed.

We have choices when dealing with those around us – we choose the types of relationships that we are comfortable with and we also find ourselves choosing who we are most compatible with. Its not a sense of right or wrong, its a sense of spirit and energy. We each affect people in different ways and like a jigsaw puzzle some pieces fit perfectly while others have a better fit in another part of the life puzzle.

It’s when we need to find that “better fit” that choice becomes the most difficult. A very dear friend of mine is currently going through a divorce. We’ve all heard the horror stories of the fights, the legal battles, the terrible toll on the children involved. What I admire about this friend is that she is grasping the power of choice in the ordeal and choosing to love, honor and celebrate a life once shared while being positively open to a new chapter in her life about to unfold. This openness is allowing her to maintain grace, dignity and most importantly a positive energy as she moves forward. A friendship is spared, children are left feeling loved and two people are able to start anew with hope and revived spirits.

Through the entire journey we call life, choice is a driving force that takes us from where we began our journey to where we are today while shaping what will become of us in the future. The key is to recognize that choice is the most valuable tool we have and we must use it wisely, discreetly and without hesitation.

So tomorrow when you wake up, I challenge this. Choose to see the world in a different way than you did today. Choose to love and be loved. Choose to make an impact. And as a wise teacher once told me, always choose to be happy.

Make good choices!

Christopher

What does blogging mean to me? Well, I feel that it is a place for me to have a conversation with you, the reader. I’m going to allow massive amounts of creative license here and completely Let Loose! For those that know me well you are probably thinking, “OH BOY! We’re in for it now.” Rest assured, we will have fun, we will be quirky at times, but I promise to venture a few tidbits of information you might find helpful whether personally or professionally.

Through this blog I hope to spread inspiration and excitement for dreams and possibilities. I’m in a bit of transition myself, having lived in Fargo, North Dakota for the last 11 years post high school.  The community provided me with a multitude of amazing opportunities and phenomenal friends. But, alas, change comes once again.

I’d have to compare my move to Minneapolis to a feeling much like I had when leaving home for the first time. Filled with anxiety, nerves but also excitement and promise of something even bigger than I’m currently aware of. After about 5 months of hiatus I’m getting ready to dive into the adult world once again. I’m opening myself up to new opportunities and new experiences in a whole new city.

For those that remain in Fargo, its not farewell but a till I see you soon. I’m planning several trips back to the city in the coming months and look forward to many evenings either at the HoDo or Basies catching up and sharing some vino.

Well, I’m going to leave this first post with that (in an attempt to keep these down to short reads).

Til the next whirl of inspiration,

Christopher