Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Inspiration at it's Best


"It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. Yes we can. It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom. Yes we can. It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can. It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land. Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can. We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change. We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea -- Yes. We. Can"



I know that this whole speech is out in the media and has become a song that is sung by the latest people in pop music, but I can't help read this and be so inspired. I am truly hoping that our country is eager enough to become the best country we can be and demand change. I think that Barack Obama is the man for this because of the fact that he doesn't have years of political experience. He has an untainted opinion that can go into the White House with a fresh perspective and turn this country around. We are in a huge hole of debt and half of the world thinks we are a country full of big headed idiots. It is time we change that and show what the United States was founded on. Freedom. Forward thinking. Independence.

Yes we can...

Monday, February 25, 2008

The Waves of Life

The last time I posted I was on a traveling high and simmering in the good life of Berlin. I went to Paris, which was beautiful, but didn't even compare to Berlin as far as the comfort. Boston was super fantastic. I don't know if it was the accents or the small feeling of a big city that got me, but I wouldn't mind living there one day.

All of that brings me to 2008. Wow, how life is a changing. I view it as waves coming over me and crashing. I feel every bit of it, but embrace it because like it or not, I'm going to get wet. I will officially be a college graduate March 11. This is the day I take my last final as an undergrad! Can you believe it? This journey has taken me 5 flippin' years, but I am almost there and I can taste it. I will be attending Grad school in the Fall. I no longer work in the fashion industry; thank God! I now am working for a therapist and the job is a lot calmer. I am also on the beginning of my path of independence. Like Forrest Gump once said, " Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what your gonna get." And for this part of my life, that quote is quite fitting. I'm excited though for all of this change. I won't lie there is fear looming inside of me, but what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger. Whoa! I am on a quote roll.

Life is strange, but it is beautiful. I have been reading a book about Buddhism that has been helping me move through the fear and get to a place of acceptance and excitement. I'm not one for conformed religion, but if I ever needed to choose one it would definitely be Buddhism. The book I am reading talks about bodhichitta. The name broken down, chitta means "mind" and also "heart" or "attitude." Bodhi means "awake," "enlightened," or "completely open." I mean really who couldn't love what that stands for? It just talks about the rawness of feelings and how people try to not feel their feelings because we are taught to hide them or to cover them up and pretend all is well. The author, Pema Chodron, gives an analogy for it, "bodhichitta is the rawness of a broken heart." That is where I am right now; in the middle of all my feelings during the rawness of a broken heart.

I won't leave y'all on a sad note. Instead I will bust out a quote to life you up.

"Right actions for the future are the best apologies for wrong ones in the past." -- Tyron Edwards