To understand is to want more....

Have you noticed that when an event takes place the first question people bring up is "why"? Sadly enough, the answer to this question, most times, leads to more questions. The quest to understand follows by more questions. I believe that questioning is simply a knee jerk reaction to buy time to recover from the original shock the news delivered brings about. Why, even when answered, doesn't begin to satisfy your quest for information. When a child is in the "why" stage and follows by more "why" questions, we get exasperated and wonder when they will stop. Their thirst for information, knowledge becomes a burden to us all but it is through this process that they begin to understand that learning is important. It expands their horizons and teaches them about communication skills. So if we are patient with them, why can't we be patient with ourselves? (did I just ask another "why" question? Why?).

Never ending dream!

You open your eyes and you love what you see. You see color, you see innocence and overall, you feel without fear. A timeless place where a word makes you float in mid air. Where worries are nonexistent and "feeling" is all that matters. A moment in space where the only thing that counts is you, and that which is of interest to you. What is better than that moment is looking back and re-experiencing the feeling in its entirety. There are only a few ways in which this can happen, you can relive the experience by daydreaming, you can bring the thought back to life while discussing the "good old times", or you can relive it by reading a chapter in a good book. Regardless of how you come about your dream, go ahead and relive the never ending dream.

Doing so will have you experience feelings that you have not felt in decades, more so, it will remind you of who you were at that moment in time. Untainted, impressionable, innocent and pure. The butterflies in your stomach will appear, the warmth all over will surface and the color of the memory will shine. You deserve to relive and feel once again, but better than that, you will realize that you deserve to feel that way again.

Now is time to make a choice - would you like to spend time sleeping trying to regain access to what once was or would you like to wake up, live life and seek the feeling in real life rather than chasing a dream?

I have come to see that some people go through life without a clear objective; no goals, and no aspirations. Now, by that I don't mean you should all know what you want to do, where you want to be and how you are going to get there from the time you are born. What I mean, is how these people just wake up in the morning go through the motions and do the same thing day after day for the rest of their lives. They just “take” that life is that way because it is meant to be for them and it will never change, so why try? They feel that living day by day is just how it is supposed to be. If you adopt that way of living, you won't realize how wonderful it is to set a goal and the feeling of pure enjoyment you attain when your goal is reached, especially if you were told it's never been done (or better yet, that YOU couldn't do it!). Having goals, wanting something (regardless of how big or small it may be) is like setting having tracks for a train. Would you get in a car, drive aimlessly with not destination in mind and continue to fill up your tank as you continue to drive and wonder why you have to refill so often?

Not having something to look forward to, something to celebrate when you have completed it is extremely sad (to me). If you have been living your life day by day, sit down and set up a destination. When your goal is in place, turn on the ignition and drive! When you get there, you will be intoxicated with the feeling of achievement. Don't stop there - find another plan, map another goal and make the drive a bit longer this time. You will continue to amaze yourself time and time again. A friend of mine used to tell me "The difference between a dream and a goal is a timeline and a decision" so don't simply dream, set forth a plan to achieve that dream and turn it into a goal. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, the only thing stopping you is FEAR and it paralyzes you. People don't try because they are afraid of failure but did you know that most great inventions came from a FAILED experiment? Without failure there wouldn't be success! So call me crazy, but I will guarantee one thing - when I am done with my journey and have reached my destination - I will have learned, grown and have plenty of stories to tell. If you are afraid to drive, take the train, but take the trip!

Stay true to who YOU are.

In my journey through life I see people looking to create a mirage, a smoke screen of who they are merely to impress others. They don't believe being themselves is enough. They work really hard at presenting an image that takes so much time and energy to create and maintain that it drains them completely. I can't imagine what it must feel like to wake up wondering what is going to be said, calculating every move and ensuring to do "exactly" what must be done to put forth the face they want to present; that seems extremely exhausting. If the sole purpose of such hard work is to put on a mask, you will not have accomplished much. It is a sad sight, one that in the end does nothing but bring bitter memories, a weakened spirit and a lifetime of unhappiness. I have always had a problem being someone other than who I am. It sure has made it interesting to say the least . I have learned lessons along the way that have helped me in developing who I already am within the confines of what I believe.
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The sooner you discover who you are; you embrace your strengths, and work on your weaknesses, the happier you will be. There is always room for improvement; however, you have to know where to begin. Enhance "YOU". Make "You" better if you feel you need improvement.

By embracing who YOU are and knowing what needs to be improved, not only are you on the right path to self discovery, you are on your way to self acceptance and will give yourself opportunity for growth. The possibilities are endless! We all have a gift, some of us are wrapped in beautiful wrapping paper , others have a bow, but there are also some that come in brown paper bags . The importance is not in the wrapping but rather in the contents of the box. Unwrap YOUR gift; give yourself a chance, you may be surprised to discover its contents.

A matter of perspective

It is simply amazing how things can change. I compare it all to a cube. One thing may seem perfect depending the perspective from which we are looking at it. Turn it slightly over and it just may show you a different side. I believe that the term "a blessing in disguise" is an example of what I mean. One action, one person can bring so much happiness to one and at the same time so much sorrow. How something you always wanted turns into that which you never expected.

Have you ever wondered why something happened? Have you ever pondered what would happened if something was just "different" but does it really matter? It will never be different, we will never know the "what if" of the other option. That is why living life, making choices and taking consequences is extremely important. Make your choices and with those enjoy your successes and learn from your mistakes. It makes life purely enjoyable and a journey worth revisiting. Do what you desire after thinking it through, enjoy your ride for as long as it lasts. Take the consequences of your actions and acknowledge your mistakes, apologize if necessary and move on! Don't live stuck in a past full of pain, regret and selfpity. Worse yet, don't ignore your mistakes and pretend that it was doomed to happen, because you will continue to make the same mistake again!

Live and grow with each breath, make life beautiful and worthwhile. Create your own path rather than walking through one that has been designed. Dare to be different, dare to challenge your own accomplishments and move forward and you will see that you can achieve results beyond that which you thought were possible. You are your own brakes, don't stop yourself!

Path to self discovery

I am undertaking a trip along a path of self-discovery. A simple question posed by a teenager made me ponder if I truly had the answer for him. He asked me "Who are you?" His intentions were not to offend. He truly wondered why I was asking him questions (which were asked to fulfill the obligations of my daily assignment). I, of course, gave him the answer to another question; I told him what my position was, I explained what I "did" for a living and the reasons why I had to ask questions and guide him in his path. It truly amazed me how I didn't really know "who I was". I know what I have accomplished, what I do for a living, who I matter to the most and who is dependant upon me; but is that who I am? or is that part of what I do. I am a wife, I am a mother, I am a daughter and above all I am a creature of God. However, to fulfill those roles, I have to have a foundation - it's starts with who you are and you build upon that.

See, if I am a wife (and that is who I truly am) what happens when if my husband is no longer around? Who am I then? So that cannot be simply who I am! This caused me to embark in a trip down the path of self discovery. Who am I? The answer to that will yield a response to why I am (or not) a good wife, mother, daughter, teacher, etc. Now, I am not here because I'm confused, I'm here because I'm a deep thinker that wants to go beyond the monotony of what we should say, what should be done because it's the thing most people do! I am a free thinker who loves to see things from a different angle. I am confusing and complicated, I am gentle and stubborn. I am simply "ME".