Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas. Dale Evans

It's a few days before Christmas.  I am not going to get into it, talk about what it should mean, be like, what do we all celebrate and what we are not getting right.  I am no one to tell you how to celebrate and what Christmas should mean to you.
However I will celebrate with you and share with you what it is for me.  Over the years it has changed a lot.  As a kid it was going to granpa's house, playing with all the cousins, then a big dinner as we all waited for the clock to strike midnight.  Then we would all kiss eachother on the cheeks, family, friends, neighbors would come from near by and we would wish all the best to each other.  Then we would sit and have dinner, cheer, and us kids, we would go out on the sidewalk and light sparklers and laugh and watch fireworks.  This is one of my first memories of Christmas in South America as a kid.  Coming from a Christian family without any ties to any religion, I am sure Jesus was mentioned here and there but to me it was all about the fireworks, the cousins and of course the dancing.  After everyone was done with dinner the tables would be cleared, music would be playing and we would all dance.  The older cousins would head to clubs, us "the kids" would stay and dance with the uncles and aunts as well as the grandparents.

Then in the States I remember my first white Christmas, amazed at the snow and the freezing cold.  I truly experienced the "quiet night", no fireworks, no people coming to greet each other, but everyone sleeping early to wake up early to see what Santa brought.  Waking up to see all white, in my jammies with the siblings, next to the fireplace. Big breakfast, lazy day fulL of family love and then the visits and again a big dinner.
Then I realized that besides the weather/scenario change, it was the same: family, friends, love.
Ever since Christmas is to me the same as love, family and friends.
As times goes by I also realize that there are others that lack that.  How is that? My Christmas has become a challenge to be extra kind, to share more love, to the ones I know and the friends to meet.  A smile is the best gift.
The realization that if I carry this love all year long, Christmas does not have to end.  I have made it my purpose to give each Christmas things that I cannot buy: a hug, a heart felt letter, a smile, and one of my personal favorite traditions, to take something I own and love and give it to someone I love.  The act of giving of whats meaningful to me truly teaches me to be generous and not selfish.
I invite you, look for something you own and love, look for someone that would love to have that, and lovingly make their Christmas.

Present is a gift.

It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement. -Mabel Newcomber

Today I got up really, really early. I went for a morning run, the sun was slowly climbing up the sky, lazily but with purpose. I love my morning walks/runs. I put some music on, let it be my soundtrack and let my thoughts take over and stretch their arms.
More often than not I llook ahead on the road, like to play this game of seeing things getting bigger as I get closer to them and imagine I am shrinking. I usually like to be completely present at the moment, feel each pebble on the road, see each plant, flower or bird. Feel that there's no where else I rather be, not the future, not the past but right then and there.
Things of beauty are seen and experienced when we do "stop to smell the roses."
I felt so full of energy while walking, surrounded by beauty and we were one, together. I was breathing with my surroundings, and we were breathing the same air. I was sweating, drops falling back to the ground, ground that gave me the water I drink.
I realize that nothing exists in isolation. Everything I am is connected to everything and everyone else. I believe that when I radiate joy, it does affect my surroundings. When I interact with everyone and everything with love and kindness, I am treated the same way. Sometimes I think I am crazy I am very fortunate to be aware of this. Before I was struggling, between darkness and light, joy or a crippling depression. I had and have to put a lot of effort towards my happiness, and its well worth.
Kindness, when practiced as a way of living and not an act, can change your interactions, your perceptions, your life all around, and also, it does change the ones you touch with it.
On my walk I saw this beautiful flowers, sky that looked like out of a painting or postcard. Fat clouds lingering slowly. I am glad I do take the time to be present, to see it, to feel it and I want to share it.
Whatever our roads in life, let's be present to the journey, lets be aware of the flowers, the clouds, the sky, the beauty all around.
I feel only then, the journey will be its own destination.

Nobody can

"Nobody can make you feel bad without your permission." Paulo Coelho


I've had a few interesting days. Days when I seemed to have lost my center and be like a balloon drifting away, no direction, just carried away by the drift. When this happens I know is time to slow down, turn off the "noise" around me and really listen to myself.
When I quieted down, when I put aside all the stimuli and sat by myself, things started to be more clear. It has taken me three days to understand what I am doing or not doing.
I've realized that I have allowed situations and people make me feel bad. I do mean allowed. No one has the power to make me feel any particual way unless I give it to them. I thought I knew this and was living by it and then here I am, realizing that I let my guard down.
I understand I cannot make everyone happy, nor do I want to. I understand that when standing my ground for my well being first I might come across as callous or not interested. What I didn't understand that even though I was living life that way, I had allowed others make me feel guilty or bad for being the way I am.
It is really hard for people to understand (myself included) that the world is not centered around ourselves. So when I tell someone: " I am not ok with this. I will not do that" it's not about them. I am not out to hurt them. I am taking care of myself. I will remind myself not to allow others make me feel any particualr way when I KNOW that I am doing what's best for me.
As I said many times, I cannot give you what I don't have. I need to be well, happy, centered, kind, full of love, then I can share that with you. To be in that place in my life, I need to set boundaries, they have nothing to do with you. If you choose to feel a certain way and blame it on my behaviour, well, I have no power over that. I wish you didn't give that power to me or anyone. It is yours. It is sacred.
When you give the power over your own emotions to others, you also give the responsibility.
I won't. I won't allow you to make me feel any way I don't choose to feel. I do take responsibility for it.
It's a freeing thing. Give it a try.

Kombucha, serendipity, grandpa & more random stuff

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. - Anais Nin

A few months ago I started a journey in Salt Lake City that landed me in Buenos Aires, via Sao Paulo and Mexico. From there I continued moving, arriving at what is now my "home-base" away from home, the colonial, vibrant and full of life city of Salto in northern Uruguay. The city where my grandparents and theirs before them settled in when arriving from Brasil, Russia and Spain and mingling with the locals. Hence me being such a mutt, I've earned it.
So far it has been an incredible trip, meeting new people at every corner, discovering amazing wine for $4 a bottle and superb food for cheaper, all against the backdrop of amazing views.
While traveling I've decided to learn more about modern day slavery, work on my own project about that (will tell you at some point I promise) and leave room in life to surprise me.
Well, when not every second of your day is planned, when there journey IS the destination, then life has room to show you a thing or two.
I was on twitter (back off, I gave up my cell phone, my cell phone!!! while here, I need a little something) through a series of twitter-twatter ended up talking to @MOMBUCHA about kombucha. I was intrigued about the tea (it is a tea) and upon further inquiry @MOMBUCHA sent me a very useful link with information about the brewing of the tea and pictures (very important to the story, wait for it...)
While looking at the pictures I had a sudden spark of memory (its mostly gone, my memory that is) and remembered seeing kombucha before: in MY house. Well, then the memory unraveled itself in front of my eyes. When I was about 6 or 7 years old, my grandpa was dying of cancer. I remember he would drink some of the tea. So I talked to my mom about it and sure enough. She told me that he did drink the tea till he died as it was the one thing that provided him with nutrients, vitamins, hydration without also "feeding" his cancer cells as his doctor said.
That turned into a whole conversation about granpa, about how my sister and me were the ones in charge of brewing the kombucha for him. Above that, was a great chance for me and my mom to talk about grandpa, his humor, his temper, etc.
Yes, it all started with a twitter exchange.
I also found out that kombucha is quite common here for medicinal purposes or just as a health drink. So, I am on the kombucha wagon and you should give it a look, the @MOMBUCHA website is a good start, take a look: http://mombucha.com
My point here is that little unexpected exchanges, even when across the world, can be meaningful, we all have a message for each other, it's just a matter of listening.
It might be the person you run into the store twice in one night, the guy looking at you (not the creepy one, the other one), the sign on the side of the road, the tweet you just read.
BE ready for the message, open your eyes and ears with me and we will hear, see and feel, that every little thing in life, is designed as signposts to lead us where we belong: living a better, higher LIFE.

Life (and not the TV show)

Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.- Carl Sandburg

This was written at 1am, on Monday, November 30th.

I just spent a few days on Buenos Aires. I am now leaving this great city, heading north. I'm in one of those double deck buses, really comfortable, sitting on the second floor, front row. A vast windshield & side windows give me this 180 degrees view as we move forward.
The freeway is not busy at this hour, some trying to make it home, some trying to run away from it, some working, some trying to outrun their sorrows, but here we all are, all moving forward. Music is stimulating me through my earphones, and here I sit, write and take it all in.
Every time I look up from writing I see the lanes of the freeway stretching lazily ahead of me, as far as the eye can see, like a long smear of chalk and tar. I see the merging lanes, the carpool ones, the exits, the signs, all there, all ahead of me.
Just like life. Stretching ahead of me, at THIS very moment, I AM this moment, but I move forward. I pick the life lane i want, the speed I want to move at, the exit I want to take. We all do.
I've spent the week with so many beautifully creative people in this past few days. From the heights of Bolivia, the tropical heat of Brasil, the warmly cold Norwegians, from all over. All so different but all the same and all sharing the same light, all so great.
I realize now, looking back, that's what we ALL are, light and creation. We are here to share the light and create, create, create. We are creators. Each day we do it. Whether we are aware of it or not. We are creating, we are doing so with each choice we make, with each word we speak. I work hard, so my creations are not accidental, so they come from the light and are born to be bright.
Remember, with me each day: I am light. I am power to create.

All the time and money in the world.

How do I know what's my vocation in life?
If you had all the time and money in the world, what would you do? That's it.

Seems today that everything has to do with time and money and I believe to a degree it does. Many times I have said:"if I had the time and the money..." or, "well, it's easy for them/him/her to do that, they have the time and the money." however that it's not true, not in my case.
There are lots of things I care about, lots of issues, lots of causes and until recently I thought, well, i thought I cannot possibly make the difference. But I have realized that time and money are not what's stopping me from doing something about those things that matter to me.
We can all make a difference, if anything in our own lives and those surrounding us.
We are living in a beautiful world, full of treasures for US. (as in "all of us", not just those born in the U.S.) I am not here to preach, not the purpose of this blog. I just like to write down those thoughts that might be gone in a few years.
I was looking at the window today, smooth breeze, green trees, birds flying, clouds...and it's all mine. That's what I am talking about, my, our treasures. Add to that our families and friends and I know I am one lucky bastard.
At some point it dawn on me that unless I care for my surroundings the same way I care for my relationships, then I am in an abusive relationship. If I treat mother earth like someone that just gives, gives and gives without ever receiving any care or consideration from me, yes then I am the abuser on the relationship. And that just doesn't sit well with me.
Do I have all the time and money in the world to save the environment? Don't think so. But I don't need it.
If you think of our environment, the same way you think of a relationship with a loved one, well, you wouldn't treat it the way you do, neither will I, money or not. I can and will stop buying bottled water, but buy one permanent water bottle. I will grow greens every time I have a patch of land and if not visit my local farmer's market and support them. I will continue walking, taking public transportation, car-pooling, taking commercial flights (no more private jets for me, ha!)

I AM GOING TO SWEEP MOTHER EARTH FROM HER FEET. And like it happens with any other devoted lover, she will love me back as she has even when I haven't been so kind to her. By being better to her, I will be healthier, I will feel better.
I invite you to think about it, domestic violence? none of us stands for it. Well, isn't domestic violence to mistreat the home (Earth) we live in?
We don't need money and time, we need more awareness, a strong will and the answer to everything: loads of LOVE, to Pacha Mama, to ourselves.
Let's do this.

Gratitude

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.
Johannes A. Gaertner

Gratitude is more than a good word, it can become a way of living. Yes. It is one of those blog posts today.
Listen, putting all the bullshit aside, we all have it pretty good. Chances are that if you are reading this, you are doing it from home, work or a public library. That means you have a home, a job and a library where you live. That's pretty good.
I am not interested in going the "think of the people that have nothing" route. For once I decided to spend more time thinking about what I DO have and be thankful for it.
There was a man working on the roof of the place we are (regardless what that place is)outside, no protection from the elements so WE would have this roof now. Let's be thankful to him.
It's a simple thing. Not to think of what others are missing but to think of what we have and have GRATITUDE for it.
Let's make it a way of living. I am grateful for you reading to my rants. I am grateful for my life. I am grateful I can express myself.
Do join me in the gratitude-attitude tour. Starting now, to visit every place I am in.