Crossing the Spanish Bridges

Has anyone ever told you to "cross that bridge when you get to it"?

There is something so symbolic about a bridge. It's a connector, a link, a transition. So many things! It allows you to go from where you are, to where you want to be. Why do you think people tell you not to burn them? Bridges make life easier.

But that's not the only reason I love them. I think bridges are beautiful!

Simple but beautiful bridge over a canal in Venice, Italy.

I recently crossed some amazing bridges in the south of Spain. My absolute favorite (and also my new all-time favorite) was the bridge at Ronda. Wow. That's all I can say. It was a breathtaking sight.

Ronda, Spain

El Puente Romano was a pretty awesome bridge, too. It lead to La Mezquita, the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. It's a medieval Islamic mosque turned Catholic Christian cathedral. That was a peculiar experience. So much religious contrast in one space. It kind of made it seem like the idea of separation is just plain silly, and should become a thing of the past. It made me think that existing as one would be better than coexisting. Maybe one day the world will agree.

Puente Romano - Cordoba, Spain

This trip to Spain was amazing. Walking across these bridges, with anticipation of what the new land would offer, gave me such a sense of wonder. I knew that only beauty awaited me, and that once it met my eyes, I would greet it with a joy-filled smile. I got to cross some incredible bridges, some of them, metaphorical.

I know where I am, and where I have crossed to. I have crossed to a place where everything I see is beautiful, everything I eat is delicious, every sound I hear is music to my ears. Where life is a holiday, and I'm on vacation.

What bridges will you be crossing? What are you crossing over to? I hope it's something beautiful and happy.

When you are at the bridge, it's time to cross.

Friends, Family and Florida!

I have not written in a while. Not sure if it's because I haven't had time or inspiration. Maybe a combination of both.

I'm on a train now, staring out at a giant lake surrounded by lush greenery... in December! That can only mean one thing: I'm back in Florida :)

I'm excited about experiencing some warm weather for a couple days, but even more excited about seeing my friends and family.

I love my new life in Maryland, but there will always be something so special and close to my heart in Florida.

Relationships are a big part of life, and forming strong bonds makes life so precious. It means being able to spend time away, and upon your return, picking up right where you left off. True friendship means being there through thick and thin, and time away certainly thins things out. I love that within minutes of announcing my trip to Florida, my entire stay was booked with lunches and dinners and nightly outings. It really makes you feel so special when people are excited to have you in town and want to see you.

I believe the secret to having great friends is in being a great friend. I love the people around me like they are my family. My best friends are like my sisters (and a few of them like my brothers). The people of the world are my family. We are all one and we are all related. I think that's what makes life so beautiful to me. I don't see separation, I see oneness.

We have evolved a lot as a human race through the years, but we are not done. I look forward to the days where we see past our differences and see that we really are one and the same. Humanity together is a system, and we belong to the earth. We have a purpose.

All we can do for now is be the change and encourage others to do the same. I am your friend, be mine too. I am your sister, love me as if I had your blood, because that is how I love you. If you want great friends, be a better friend. If you want to be loved, learn to love more openly and freely. Your energy will become so attractive that people will not know what draws them to you, they will only know they want to be around you. That is a good feeling.

Breathtaking Views Through Your Eyes

How can you see something, if I am the one looking at it? How can you feel something, if I am the one experiencing it?

I have been in Maryland most of this month. I am really enjoying the weather and the people have been great. Everyone is so friendly, and of course, I have been getting involved in some deep conversations.

Fells Point, Baltimore



I recently met a young guy with a wealth of knowledge and understanding. We got into a conversation about belief systems and religions and what not. I always enjoy these types of debates. I consider myself a pretty optimistic and positive person, but I learned something from him that made me question that.

I had never heard the term "Homo Empathicus". Apparently, it is the species that we may be evolving into, or have been evolving into more deeply. As much as I love the world and the people in it, I had a sense of sadness in my heart from all of the pain and suffering in the world, especially the pain inflicted onto humans by other human beings. Terrorism, war, greed. I was starting to think that with all the potential we have as humans to change this world around, that we are headed in the wrong direction. I see now, that we are not.

Human beings have evolved from only associating with their own families and tribes, to being a part of something bigger, like communities and nations. When you think about it, that really is HUGE! Although many of us are still separated by religion, we can hope that one day we will unite as humanity, and make the world a better place.

The idea of Homo Empathicus is just that. We feel what others feel. It's our nature. It's why we have become bigger than just our tribes. We don't only feel each others' pain, we feel each others' joy as well. When we empathize with another, we are celebrating the life of that person. I read that "the shared bond intensifies one's own sense of aliveness because in the empathic act we 'transcend' our physical confines and, for a brief period, live in a shared non-corporeal plane that is timeless and that connects us to the life that surrounds us."

If we can connect, at a higher level, at an empathetic consciousness, we would be living life more fully. We would really feel alive! People who live a life of solitude, are living life less deeply, their life itself is less lived. Living doesn't just mean breathing and having a pulse, it means having a life and being alive in it.



The only way to feel alive and to connect with someone on this "non-corporeal plane" is to be totally present in the here and the now; to totally inhabit your body, and not just your mind. Your mind will separate you from the rest of humanity, and if you are not careful, will create an ego that not even you can control.

We all share this beautiful planet Earth. We are all human beings. Why don't we connect with each other and show compassion for one another? It's a very simple thing to do, but it can do wonders if we all participate just a little more deeply.

Open your heart. Feel my pain and my joy. I will feel yours too.

 

[W]hen a person realizes he has been deeply heard, his eyes moisten. I think in some real sense, he is weeping for joy. It is as though he were saying, "Thank God, somebody heard me. Someone knows what it's like to be me."

-Carl Rogers

The Map to Happiness

Wouldn't it be nice if it existed? The map to happiness?

Many people think they know the way. They have happiness all mapped out in their minds. They say "when I have ___ then I can do ___ and then I will be happy!" Some say that when they have more money they can do more traveling, and then they will be happy. Others say when they have more time they can do more sharing and gathering socially, and then they will be happy. Many say if they had more freedom they could do whatever they wanted and then they would be happy.

That's the problem.

You can't map your way to happiness. You can't do anything to achieve happiness. There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way, as Lau-Tzu eludes to in the Tao Te Ching.

London, Summer 2009

We need to let go of the false perception that happiness is something we will have later. Happiness is something we have to be right now. We have to take that map we've been holding and look at it through the mirror. Inverted. We already are at our destination. We already are happy. And now that we are here, we can do and have whatever we want.

What have you been planning out and mapping out in your head? Success? Freedom? Happiness is not the only desired destination. We can flip those maps too. You want to be rich? Be rich. Then you will do what rich people do, and you will have what rich people have.

Be who you are and you will create the rest. If you focus too much energy on becoming, not much is left for actually creating it.

Be you. Be well. Be kind. Just be. Be now.

*and now smile... a smile is almost inevitably accompanied by a sensation of happiness*

:)

The Northeast is Calling

When was the last time you were in New York? Have you ever been? For me it was last January,  which is interesting because I don't usually go to New York in January. I don't like it. It's too cold. I made an exception this time because it was my teenage cousin's birthday, and she and her parents were going to be there visiting and celebrating. It was a family thing. I love family things.

 

Waiting for a table in a cute spot in Brooklyn
for Sunday Brunch with my uncle and siblings.

 

I can't believe it has been 7 months since I last saw these guys! I used to make it a priority to travel to New York every 3-4 months religiously. I love being around my young nephews and enjoy watching them grow. I guess the travel bug bit me and I started going other places instead... but I was missing them!



My sister, my best friend, and now my business partner.

 

My sister came down from New York to visit last week with my mom and my nephews. It was so nice to see them. I cried some tears of joy when I hugged my sister. That's how I know I'm turning into my mom... just kidding! It was actually quite beautiful feeling that kind of emotion. It felt like a true blessing.

 

Vanessa, my younger but taller sister, did not just come for fun. She came to work. She came to get things done! We had decided to team up. She was going to help me design my blog, and make it look nice. I write. That's what I do. She does websites and design. So that's what she will do. It's a match made in heaven :)

 



Working lunch at a Mexican Food Truck
in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.



It was really great to spend time with my sister. I always learn so much when I'm around her. This time was no different. She has taken on a really healthy lifestyle, and she is looking better than ever! She has inspired me to have more integrity when it comes to eating right and being well. No more eating cupcakes when no one is looking.

 

 

 

Having integrity means waking up when you say you are going to wake up. It means no snoozing. It means going to that Bikram Yoga class even though you didn't drink enough water today, just because you said you would be there. Having integrity means no "cheating" on your "diet". I put it in quotations because having integrity means having a healthy lifestyle, and not just forcing you to deprive yourself of certain "guilty" pleasures. That means choosing not to eat the cupcake, not because it has too many calories, but because it is made with processed sugars and food coloring, and the calories are empty.

 

I definitely don't plan on letting another 7 months go by without seeing my family. My youngest brother has a birthday in NY next month, but after that, what will I do? The Northeast has been calling my name for a long time. I love being near my family and I think the time has come to leave the Sunshine State, at least for some time. Enough time to make me strong enough to survive a real winter, not just a weekend of 30 degree weather. I'm considering making the move, just not sure to what city. I'm not sure about NYC just yet.

 

I want to live someplace where I don't need to
get into my car to take my dog to the dog park.



I appreciate you and your readership, and I am open to receiving your thoughts and opinions. Do you know of any city or neighborhood I should consider living? Maybe something urban and hip? Where would you like to live?

I am really excited about the projects Vanessa and I are taking on. I'm excited about how much I will grow personally (and in turn, how much YOU will grow) and about how much better my blog is going to look and feel! (By the way, we will be moving over to WordPress, so stay tuned for more information about how to find the new and improved Timeless Travels blog once we do!)

Stay awesome!