When You Learn, Teach.

January 27, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

Kyoto, Japan. 2018.

It’s been two years since the All Things DMC Blog has become one of many places where I collect my thoughts. I’m grateful for the courage I have to elaborate freely on some of my sentiments, and to place them on a platform that creates dialogue with others. So far, it has been a wonderful interactive learning experience for me, and I’m connecting with people in a way that is always inspiring. I love Maya Angelou’s words, so eloquently phrased, “When you get, give. When you learn, teach.” These are actions of a humanitarian.

In the last few months, as I’ve been journeying across the world, I am opening my eyes to new information and new possibilities. I am discovering that my heart is set on working with children. I want to get, and give. I want to learn, and teach! During moments of reflection, I see how inspired I’ve been to take on opportunities allowing me to work with youth in many different ways. I’ve managed volunteer groups for youth activities, wrote a children’s book about the impactful power of volunteers, shared the story with many children around the world, and coordinated resources for children and their families. I find myself always looking for a way to help people, and those people mostly happen to be young humans. As they’re on their own quest to navigate life, I have realized that I want to be apart of their learning experience. I want to focus on supporting the ones I can, by becoming equipped as an educator of children learning English as a second language. With my combined passion to travel, this seems to be the right approach. It’s a new journey, for a new year, and I’m excited! There’s a lot going on in my mind, and a reflection of my thoughts has become a life filled with adventures.

As I sit here blogging, from a co-working space in Kyoto, I am inspired by the individuals around me who also realize their power to pursue and experience a life of adventure. That’s just it, it’s what we’re here to do. Live our best lives. It’s simply transforming ideas into tangible magic.

This month spent in Japan has been a direct reflection of my sentiments for simplicity, peace, spirituality, purpose, intentionality, and joy. I’ve been taken back to the root of it all, the root of my what brings me joy. I feel reloaded with the necessary tool to move forward, faith. I like to think I’m the type to not only march to the beat of my own drum, but to also spend time first making the drum. I think there are many students out there who’d appreciate a teacher like that. Someone to inspire them to be curious, tap into their hearts, and to feel confident and excited when it’s time to try new things!

If you’ve read my children’s book Peers, Cheers, and Volunteers you may have noticed that Ms. August is more than a fictional character. She’s also more than a teacher, recognizing that she’s a student first, and always.

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Live a Lot

June 27, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

Slow down. Everyday will not be the same, no matter how strict we are with our routines. That’s the beauty in life, the unexpected. The sharp turns, and whether or not we are prepared to make them, even when we’re used to going straight. We’re supposed to be living flexible lives, taking the good with the bad. I’m no robot, so forgive me if I’m late, if I need a break, if I messed something up, if I forgot, if I didn’t respond, if I said “no,” if I didn’t stop to say hello, if I did something without telling you, if I didn’t apologize, if I was too blunt, if I disregarded your feelings, if I didn’t have pity for you, if I didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear, if I wasn’t honest, if I put myself first – please, oops, my bad, forgive me.

My true core self always speaks, as a doer. As doers, we simply say less. We are addicted to taking it all in, and getting things done. Who has time to talk about it! We are too busy manifesting. We’re quietly planning, observing, strategizing, and making moves to bring about all that we want in our lives. Everyone else may only see the results of that hard work, and then questions how it gets done. That there is the problem, too much talking. It’s great to ask questions, but there comes a point where you should actually begin to apply the information shared!

We are not perfect. It’s so interesting, because as much as we know this is impossible, we still strive for perfection. Why is that? Why does everything have to be so “perfect?” Let’s just live simply, and do all things with love. Let’s just follow the four agreements presented so clearly by Don Miguel Ruiz: Be Impeccable with Your Word, Don’t Make Assumptions, Always Do Your Best, and my favorite Don’t Take Anything Personally. Yes, let’s do that! Let’s be filled with the same positive energy, so that we eventually become in sync, and on a frequency that will actually help make this world a better place. Stop striving for perfection, stop comparing, stop judging, stop criticizing, stop hating, stop hurting others, stop killing others, just stop! Be still, and feel the shift. We actually have the power to change things, not to make them perfect, just to shift gears, and make them better!

I want my children to grow up in a world with people who are compassionate. Women need to step up, take their place, know their power and worth, stop trying to please others, and live in truth! Get back to nature, that’s where all the answers are placed, right before our natural eyes!

Slow down, and let’s stop saying we don’t have time for this or that. We don’t know how much time we have! That’s plain and simple. If your mom wants you to give her a call, pick up the phone. Your kids want to play hide and seek with you, get to hiding! Your passion is burning a hole through your heart because you keep ignoring it, you just may kill yourself before you actually die. Time is of the essence, so take breaks when necessary, take action when necessary, stop striving for perfection, stop the comparison, do your best, live in the moment, spread the love, and embrace it all!

Oh yeah, and go on that trip you’ve been talking about for so long! What are you waiting for? Take some control, place fear in the trash, get the credit card, book the flight (with or without a travel buddy), pack your carry-on bag (less is more), and when you get there, smile, because you actually made it happen! In this life, we’re to make new mistakes, have new experiences, and not live so much in routine or fear. Ride the bike, take the fall, get back up, and get back to it! Do just that. Live, a lot.

San Francisco, California. 2014

Forever Young

April 27, 2017.Reading time 3 minutes.

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. 2017

I watched the movie Collateral Beauty on the plane as I traveled to Costa Rica, and it touched me. It brought to surface, things I think about often – yet in a more abstract light: Love, time, and death. We all want love. We all need more time. We all fear, yet will experience death. In the movie, some characters became Love, Time and Death – to bring lessons to life. The lessons were triggered by loss, and the collateral beauty that comes with it. Loss changes us. Loss of a dear loved one, changes a person. I experienced that, and that loss introduced me to a new way of understanding life. The collateral beauty I choose to see is the spirit that outlives the flesh. Life is a short trip. Let’s think:

“We can’t go against time. Time should be upset with us if we take it for granted. Einstein calls time a stubbornly persistent illusion.” Time cannot be tracked, should not be tracked. We have all the time in the world! Time is a stubborn illusion!

“Love, is the fabric we are made of. We don’t get to choose who we love, and who loves us. We don’t get to say goodbye to love.” Accept love in all variations, and live abundantly. Love, it’s the only answer to the question “why?” Love, is the only reason to do all things. Don’t try to live without it. Love is the light and the darkness, the sun and the storm, in laughter and in pain. Love is all.

Do we pretend that time is unlimited? That death is unrealistic? We can make things up to be whatever we want, that’s the power of the mind, and it’s just that great. Death reveals things, it’s symbolic of change. It can also be an illusion. The body dies, and the spirit continues to live, louder.

In this moment, value all things present, and all things absent. In time, it will only be a memory, we will only be a memory. Let’s be fearless, and fully emerged in all things connected to love. Live out loud, have a dream, make it real, work hard, succeed, be grateful, see beauty in all things, and with that mindset, we are forever young.

Open Secrets

November 27, 2016.Reading time 2 minutes.

Prospect Park, Brooklyn. 2016.

Anxiety. It sometimes gets the best of us. Our hearts take off running and jumping, in no particular direction. There are instances when we set ourselves up by setting expectations. No, let’s not do that so much. Let’s live, moment by moment.

Change. It sometimes manipulates what’s best for us. Our hearts stop, and we become nervous, concerned, even fearful. There’s something about what’s happening that appears too unnatural. Then it happens again, almost becoming a cycle. We’d hope to understand that it’s inevitable, only to find ourselves in anticipation.

Aspiration. It sometimes prepares the best in us. Our hearts direct us to search for the passion. There’s a fire that burns, and we calmly seek ways to keep it burning. We understand that the fire serves as light, warmth, and possibility. We need that.

Delight. It sometimes affects our best judgments. Our hearts are satisfied when we listen. There’s a particular attention span we’re supposed to have when it comes to our desires. We’re to be faithful, loyal, and optimistic. We’re to walk the path of satisfaction, with peace and joy as our footprints.

Tranquility. It sometimes encourages our best ideas, especially in times of uncertainty. Our hearts need regular moments of stillness and silence. There are pieces of us that we dive deep for, hoping to be strong enough to bring them to surface. All we’re really looking for is direction, to inspire our next move.

Vibe. It sometimes simply attracts the best energies, for us. Our hearts are in charge. We understand that, so we listen, and we follow. Harmony then exists. Doubt then exits. We’re able to extend ourselves, to experience joy on a level that goes beyond the universe. In those moments, we don’t ask why, or how.

Brooklyn Meets Cartagena

February 4, 2016.Reading time 2 minutes.

Photo: Cartagena, Colombia, 2016

I took a leap of faith and ended up in Colombia, one of the happiest countries in the world! I love warm weather, and sometimes consider myself a beach bum, so it’s only right that I post up on the coast, in Cartagena! It’s a gorgeous city with lots of character! The architecture is beautiful, awesome street art, friendly people, and I’m making muchos nuevos companeros – Colombians and fellow tourists from all around the world. The streets here are so lively, as if there are fiestas around each corner. Lots of street food vendors, people hanging out, musica, warm breezes, y espanol es being exchanged every which way. Se basica espanol, pero I can’t hold a conversation. It’s only right that I decided to study spanish while I am here! Either that or continue this poor performance of spanglish. I’m taking a class a la escuela Nueva Lengua. They also have sites in two other major cities, Bogota and Medellin. Now I can say I’ve studied abroad, twice! At least in Australia, I just had to make it pass their lovely accent. Ahora, I have to make it pass the language AND the accents. Pero, es muy divertido! My goal, while in Colombia is to become semi-fluent in spanish, make new friends, eat delicioso comida, explorar like Dora, escribir un nuevo libro para ninos, reflect, relax and rejuvenate. The colors here are extremely rich and inspiring. I’m ready to paint. Maybe I’ll even take Malik, the main character from my children’s book Peers, Cheers, and Volunteers on an adventure in the next book. We’ll see. Journey with me! Follow my blog, comment and share. Hasta luego!

Photo: I take in such beauty on my way to class.