is it necessary?

will it bring happiness? will it create pollution? how are the people involved in the extraction, manufacturing and transportation process treated?

"we spend money we don't have on things we don't need to create impressions that won't last on people we don't care about." Tim Jackson

wholeness

in a world where it seems that there is no time
i took time
in a world where rushing from one thing to the next is the norm
i stopped to take a breath
i looked up towards the sky
i got carried away looking at a white egret patiently looking for food
he was not afraid to starve, he was not afraid of my presence just a couple of feet away
i got lost in time and tapped into my connection with all living beings on earth

i chose to stop running and start living
living fully
i can CHOOSE my life
i can LIVE in a way that makes me feel alive
i began to understand what Thich Nhat Hanh said: "peace is every step"
walking the path that would lead me to my dreams every single moment
walk my dreams from beginning to end
the process, the journey and the end are all important and the same
i can't be fully alive when i compromise the journey
i can't be fully alive if I pretend, close my eyes, following blindly, believing that i will accomplish my dreams that way
no way jose!

i lived outside and was part of a beautiful community
i discovered a treasure
i do not need much, we already have everything that we need to fulfill our missions
cel phones, computers, the latest car, high hills, a perfect body, recognition, a big house
they do not matter, don't you see it's all a lie
i do not need a cel phone to talk to you,
see when i call you or text you i do not get to see the sparkles in your eyes and i don't get to hug you
technology is robbing me of the gift of human touch
technology is robbing me of that tingling sensation when i touch you lover, friend, family and stranger
that tingling sensation that feels like this interconnected web of energy that reminds me that you are me, and i am you, that we are extensions of each other

i am not afraid anymore, i am not scared
see i can grow my own food if i want to
not only money can provide food on the table,
nature can feed me wholesome and nourishing food
the sun can be my warm shelter and protection
the stars can be my roof
the water of the rivers can relief my thirst
and shooting stars and the moon can be the magical light that remind me that there is light in the darkest night of winter
i want to live consciously and mindfully
running from one thing to the next, felt to me as if a part of me was taken away
i wonder what we are so afraid of, why run so much?
it reminds me of the flight and flee response
are we just reacting, trying to survive?
what are we running away from?
what are we escaping from?

i reclaimed those quiet, empty places
i made them my own
i made them my temple
my solitude is where i found self-love
my solitude is a place of communion with myself
                      a place of self-discovery
when i reclaimed my solitude
i reclaimed self-love
i sowed the soil for truly giving, for generous unconditional loving
because i was whole
i was not looking for you, family, lover, friend and stranger
with a hidden agenda, with the expectation that you would complete me
because i am whole and beautiful just like you

if i can spend time with myself and be happy, i can spend time with you and give you seeds of happiness
i am interconnected and interdependent, but i can also rely on myself
i can recognize and celebrate my contributions in the world
and i can i do the same for you
there in that space of equality and truly giving
i can give you without expectations
my unconditional love

miami

i love to see people using public spaces!

live salsa band and people dancing in front of bayfront park in miami

more happy street dancers!

roots and family

this past sunday, we received a call from my great aunt saying that she was in florida and wanted to see us. a beautiful surprise!!! i had not seen her, i don't even remember since when, but it's been at least 10 years. monday evening, mom and i went to visit my great aunt, my mom's cousin and her husband.

it's been a long time (10 years or more), since i had seen or spent time with anyone from that generation of my mom's family. 

i love my mom's and dad's side of the family, but i think it's very interesting to see how different each side of the family is. my mom's family and especially my grandmother's family on my maternal side is extremely kind, happy and united. i can't even explain in words the love, appreciation and joy i felt in my great aunt's presence and i hope that you can feel some of that vibration while reading this and that it nurtures your heart. her wisdom, compassion and joy emanated and it seemed as she was pure light and was  floating in the room. her body seemed and felt as if it was made of light and subtle energy,  unlike anything i have witnessed in my life. 

she told us stories and i got the opportunity i had been waiting for, to learn more about my ancestry and the roots of my family. since my both my grandparents on my mom's side have already passed away. there's a lot i would like to know, but i had not find the person that had answers to such questions. 

i was touched and inspired by her so much, feeling like i experienced a whole new dimension of the manifestation of unconditional love in family. on my way back home, i told mom if she had the same feeling as i did, that new generations are loosing that strong connection to family and the gift of showing without effort unconditional love for family members. it helped me commit to my family on a different way and express m gratitude and love more freely.

i felt not only that she loved me unconditionally, but also even if she had not seen me in a very long time she knew exactly who i am at the core and essence of my being; and cared infinitely about my happiness.

one of the things that really struck me was when while hugging, holding my mom's hands and with tears in her eyes, she told her how much she respected her for being able to be away from her family for so long. without any judgement and with enormous admiration, she recognized my mom's efforts for leaving one of the most precious things we have our family, for what mom thought would be a better future for my sister and i. right then, i was reminded of all the things we left behind when we moved. it became more clear how important it is to secure peace and happiness on the land, everywhere in the world, so that we can all live with our families and no one be displaced by any kind of violence.

now, i feel closer to my roots and proud of my ancestry. i will fight everyday to not loose and strengthen my connection to my andean homeland no matter how far i am and for how long.

the essence never changes

the essence of things remains the same through time

i remember when i was doing yoga teacher training, my teacher told us:
the test for reality is when things don't change over time.

some things change, while some do not. in the surface many things seem to change, but in essence things are always the same. what changes is our perception of reality.
i really appreciate relationships, all kinds of relationships that are strong over time. relationships where care, kindness, support, acceptance, compassion and love are present at the core. the way those qualities are manifested might change, but a strong interconnection is always there shining sometimes bright like the sun in an open summer sky, other times dim like the sun shining behind the clouds on a grey winter sky. however, the light is always always there shining.

knowing that i can count unconditionally with you means the world to me. thank you soooo much...
if what i am thinking and feeling is true, juan pablo says that in 4 years one of my dreams will come true.
great!!!
now, i am learning to be patient... it's hard!! but the calm that it brings is makes it so worth it.
patience is teaching me to be accepting and happy with where i am right now.
patience is teaching me to love others for who they are right now.
patience is teaching me non-attachment.
patience is teaching me to never ever give up on me and you
never ever give up on us