The Sun

84DFA172-5D87-48FC-A6A0-DE1A78E622C7.jpegMae Ra Moe, Thailand. 2018. 

Today, once again, from a tent on a beach, at 6:42 AM, I watched with amazement, the sun presenting itself to the day, as each time is the first time. It reminds me of the opportunity we have as people to enter the day, brand new, with style and grace. There were hues of light blue, purple, orange, and pink that were sprinkled throughout the sky, almost as if it were a red carpet for the sun’s arrival. When it happened, when I noticed the first sight of the tip of the sun, I became excited yet again, for something I’ve seen multiple times before, and when it came into full view, just like the ending to a classic movie, I wanted to give it a standing ovation. I almost wanted to cry. Just like that, taking in something so simple, as a sunrise, has reminded me yet again of the possibilities in life.

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Phuket, Thailand. 2018

It’s the 27th day, and from the sands of Phuket, I sat still until the spirit moved me to write. During that stillness, so much flashed through my mind. I remembered moments of being in love, moments of mourning, moments of celebrating new life, moments of celebrating personal successes, moments of experiencing new things for the first time, moments of landing in countries I’ve always dreamed of visiting, moments of witnessing my very own dreams coming true. Then I was moved to pick up a book and continue reading, when it hit me.

I’m reading an inspiring story written by Bill Strickland, “Make the Impossible Possible.” This is becoming one of my favorite reads after The Alchemist, The Four Agreements and The Book of Awakening.

In the book, Bill Strickland shares his story of building a dream that he didn’t originally plan for himself, but because he’s a man who simply follows his heart and trusts his intuition, has been led to unveil an inspiring reality that has come to positively impact and transform the lives of many people, people who would have never believed in themselves if it weren’t for the opportunities Bill Strickland was able to present to them – had he not listened to his gut and fought to make all that seemed impossible, possible. It’s a story that reminds me of the powers that lie within the combination of harwork, faith, determination, consistency, and a heart to do good.

The chapter I just finished reading was the fuel I needed to keep the flame burning of all of the new dreams I have for myself, and it said to me ever so clearly that I must not scale back any of my hopes and dreams, because they’re all possible and necessary.

I have goals of connecting with more people, of presenting an opportunity for students to learn in a new way, of reaching new levels of creative artistic expression, of immersing myself in new lands and cultures, of learning new languages and carving a path that will lead me to connect my way back to my roots. There’s so much more to this life, without a doubt, and impossible is nothing as long as the sun is out.

Bloom.

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Chiang Mai, Thailand. 2018. 

“Life is a journey, not a destination. There are no mistakes, just chances we’ve taken. Lay down your regrets, cause all we have is now. Wake up in the morning, and get out of bed. Start making a mental list in my head of all of the things that I am grateful for…Early in the morning, it’s the dawn of a new day. New hopes, new dreams, new ways. I open up my eyes and I open up my mind and I wonder how life will surprise me today.” -India Arie

The Chiang Mai Flower Festival is hosted every year during the first weekend of February, displaying colorful chrysanthemums, damask roses, and so much more. Just near the city center, the streets are filled with vendors of plants, flowers, orchids and garden decorations. Overall, the city is beautiful, and has the rich vibe that speaks to my soul. The flowers that fill the streets is life’s way of reminding me to laugh, smile, and keep things simple.

Nature in general, always finds a way to gently tap me on the shoulder and whisper how magical it is to carry on organically. In translation, I typically hear a drawn out whimsical tone, with the following words recited, “Just be yourself.” Whenever I hear that, a weight is lifted, and there becomes less pressure in understanding the particular reason of why I’m here. Just a soul aware of the possibility in having a spiritually satisfying human experience. The idea is to gracefully learn from all that enters and exits my life, and see how those things contribute to my wild growth. For that reason, I’m grateful for the variations of my surroundings. With each clarifying day, I’m inspired to remove anything that I  consider “clutter,” by focusing on what is essential to my growth.

“She is like a wildflower, beautiful, fierce and free.”

Often enough, there’s so much that distracts us from keeping life simple, and I find the presence of flowers to be one of many stimulating experiences that gracefully gestures organic beauty.

The next time you stop to smell the roses (when you look at yourself in the mirror), remember:

“Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace.”

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”

“Happiness blooms from within.”

“She sprouted love like flowers, grew a garden in her mind, and even on the darkest days, from her smile the sun still shined.”

“Like wildflowers, you must allow yourself to grow in all the places people thought you never would.”

“A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it, it just blooms.”

“You are not your roots, you are a flower grown from them.”

“May the flowers remind us why the rain was so necessary.”

“Like flowers, we can also choose to bloom.”

“The earth laughs in flowers.”

“Advice from a sunflower: ‘Be bright, sunny and positive. Spread seeds of happiness. Rise, shine, and hold your head high.”

“Live wild, flower child.”

… and most importantly, “Bloom baby, bloom!”

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