Brian RumaoJanuary 28, 2026
One day you finally knewwhat you had to do, and began.
Mary Oliver
I distinctly remember in 2009 driving my friend Inder to the airport. It was winter in Michigan, the highways slick. My ‘94 Geo Prizm hit an icy patch under an overpass, and we hydroplaned. It lasted only a second, but when the tires gripped the road again, I was arrested by a thought: I have to get out of Michigan. My first moment of clarity.
I’ve come to realize life presents these moments perhaps when we least expect them. The times when the curtain falls, and there’s nothing left but an insight so clear and critical that it demands our full attention. I’ve had moments of clarity while going through very hard times, or sitting with plant medicine and psychedelics, or when awaking with a steely resolve to change something. To let something go. To become anew.
Perhaps it’s a voice from God, whispering words so tender that they leave you with no choice but to listen and to heed. I cherish these moments. Time slows down. The background noise subsides. And into sharp focus, what you must finally do.