Are You Brave Enough to be Yourself?

Embrace What Is...

We caught a taxi and went looking for the place you can pull the big boats out of the water. The taxi driver had never heard of it. After finally finding it, I am not surprised. The road wasn't exactly made for third world taxi vans.

So often we find ourselves in places we never expected--experiencing challenges we thought we would never face. But that doesn't make the road any less beautiful. In fact, letting go of expectations and being present in the reality of the moment with an open heart and mind often leads to the best adventures. 

We did find the boat lift (although a water taxi would have been the way to go since it was way out on a point) 

But here are a few things we saw along the way...

I find such beauty here...

Laura

Life Wasn't Designed to be Conquered

Falling to Earth in Central America

Kids are the same the world over. It doesn't matter if they have to beg bread, they still love to swing.

Living in Central America and spending time with what we would call poor kids has only made me appreciate life more. Laughter is the same everywhere. Flying through the air and feeling your tummy stay up when you fall to earth is worthy of giggles no matter what your designation in life.

This is simple joy.

May we all be simple enough to experience it.

Wisdom From a Panama Mama

Lucy is a native here on the islands in Panama. I spent the afternoon chatting with her about the culture and history of this place. She is a wealth of information and was an pleasure to be with. In fact, she even invited me to Christmas dinner, which involves eating at every house on the street. 

But of all the lovely things Lucy said to me, the one that really hit home was this simple phrase.

Your neighbors are your closest family.

Seems simple enough. So why did it hit me in such a powerful way?

I think because in these years of traipsing around Central America, I have taken many neighbors into my heart. and I have need the help of many neighbors too. 

It is such a good feeling when you look at someone you hardly know and find compassion. Eyes that have never met yours in concentrated focus before connect with something deep inside you briefly and you see humanity. 

So I guess this is part of my journey. Discovering humanity. Feeling (I was going to use the word understanding, but I think this is deeper than the mind) that we are all connected--and the person next door, or in the street, or at the table next to you in a little rice and beans joint, is family. 

Thanks Lucy, and by the way, I think I will take you up on that Christmas dinner.

And Another Skateboard Appears

A little guy on the Island of Carenero skated boarded circles around the other kids on a borrowed board in front of the grocery store. It really is the only place they have to play. Well, our hearts went out to him and today we took him shopping in town for a skateboard of his own. His name is Josel and he is 8...or will be in a couple of days. You should have seen the determination on his little face as he kept up with us at a good clip dodging in and out of stores looking for a new board.

We finally found one. Its got Captain America on it. He grinned carefully and said thank you (in Spanish of course)

Back in the panga (our little traditional Panamanian boat) and back across the bay to Carenero. Josel got to try out his new board on the concrete in front of the store. Of course, a few other kids were there to help him. Last I saw, he was trotting off home with his board in both hands propped behind his back.

We headed back to the marina to discover that a friend and backpacker who left the islands today left a skateboard behind. Cool-a-rama! We have another board to hand out to another budding athlete!

Funny how when you follow your heart and MOVE forward, other things MOVE into place with you. I plan to do more moving....

Forget Yourself

The Devil is in the SHARING of the Details...But then, there are forces at work here who don't want you to know.....

The Devil is in the details. 

Well, in this case in the preventing of sharing the details. Today is clean-up day. We are so excited to share the breath taking transformation that is happening here on this island. For years people have tried to make a change. The trash has been piling up, the stench is unbearable, the raw sewage under the houses has posed an immense health threat to the children who play in it every day.

But today is clean up day.

They said it couldn’t be done.

The locals are feeling so inspired that all week they have been cleaning. Using machetes to cut long uncut grass, fixing steps up out of the slop and into their homes, even painting and planting flowers.

We are watching a miracle take place before our eyes.

But almost every attempt I have made to share this transformation on line has met with obstacles. My FaceBook posts could not be seen by my friends, my website went down, goofy things were happening like a website saying my domain name had expired months ago (NOT!) Every time I try to get on line, the connection goes down. Photos won’t load.

So why is it feeling impossible to share what is happening?

Because it is amazing….wonderful, beautiful, life changing for an entire community! And I think there are forces at work who do not want YOU to see that!

The devil is in the sharing of the details.

You can try out the website to see lovely photos and read the story at www.povertyprojectinternational.com But beware, it may hide itself from you.

Apparently we are doing something right!

Hope For A Sunken Island

Isla Carenero is a tiny island in Panama. Palm trees dot the sandy beaches and warm waters offers great fishing, snorkeling, and swimming year round. HOWEVER...and that is a big however. The island has a big problem. In 1991 an earthquake rocked the region causing the land to sink about 4 feet. Since then, standing water has become a breeding ground for Dengue fever carrying mosquitoes and trash has taken over a big part of the local village. Black water (raw sewage) is directly under many of the houses and the kids walk through it on their way to school. The bridges are literally underwater at high tide and the black water mixes the tidal water and covers the land.

So we are doing something about it.

We met with gov't officials and have made some amazing connections in the community. This weekend is clean up. We are really excited because the locals are taking responsibility for their own land. Even this week (before the official clean up date) we are seeing people picking up trash, planting flowers, painting porches and fences, fixing steps, and mowing grass that hasn't been mowed in forever.

The transformation is amazing.

To follow our journey and see pics and get updates, please go to www.povertyprojectinternational.com and see what we are doing. We do need donations to get some of the bigger projects done. But the real work has been done already...peoples hearts are changing...

"Don't Come Here to Help Us"

"Don't come here to help us."

What? My jaw dropped. I was in Mexico hoping to volunteer my time to teach English and a lovely older man listened to my story and responded with, "Don't come here to help us"

As I listened to him expound, I felt something inside me changing. He explained how people come to Mexico from the US and Canada thinking they know how to help the locals. But really they are just patting themselves on the back for doing something to make themselves feel good about doing good in the world.

and they good they think they are doing may not be what is needed at all.

OK. So I am not easily offended, and as I put my ego behind me and tried to really listen to what this man was saying, I felt the truth of it even in my own motivation.

So what to do?

"Just come live with us," was his advice. "After a while, you will see what we really need and where you fit in."

Over the last 4 years I have taken this to heart. But living with the locals doesn't always make you feel like you are doing anything. However, as I look back, I can see how I have changed, how I have connected with people, how my heart has expanded and I have discovered that simply playing soccer with the kids in the streets is an act of love.

When we think of doing something for the greater good in the world, we often come up with a plan that doesn't have a face attached to it. We think in terms of ideas and concepts. But when we stop thinking and start living, when we GO to the people we want to touch and sit in their homes and listen to their stories, when we hear them, our hearts are broken and what flows out of us can't help but make a difference because it comes from a different place. It comes from love.

Even Small Fears Keep Us From Joy

I walked for miles down the streets of Chicago in my bare feet.

Someone stopped me and asked, "Isn't that dangerous?"

Dangerous? I never thought of it. I felt the cool ground and the way every part of my foot touched it. I felt my heightened awareness of my environment and I practically skipped along on the current of life flowing through the city.

Funny how even small fears keeps us from joy.

There are two forces in the world. Love, and its opposite, fear.

Consider carefully which one you give attention to. It will color your world.

Just Stand and Shine

This little saying-- I read it in a book called LIGHT IS THE NEW BLACK by Rebecca Campbell-- really impacted me today. 

It was one of those stab you in the chest kind of feelings. 

All my life I have had a need to do something to change the world. I've wracked my brain trying to come up with the best way possible to help people. And in all honesty, it has cause me much grief. I've felt guilty for not doing enough and  I've felt scattered because I haven't been able to pick one, singly directed way to have an impact on society. 

The revelation that came to me with this little picture brought such relief.

All I have to do is be light! 

Here is the really cool part... When I am doing what I love to do most, it lights me up. And when I light up, that light is contagious. Like a match kindling a candle. People see it and are ignited. Their natural response is to feel a burning inside--a mirrored reflection of my flame.

I thought I was supposed to "fix" everyone. But the truth is, I cant fix anyone. All I can do is be light. 

You see, I will walk away. People cannot rely on me continually. They must find Authentic  Light inside themselves in order for lasting change to take place. All I can do is light up the way by lighting up myself.

And so I stand up high and I shine.

The Beauty in Poverty...Can You See It?

I walk the streets and stop to admire an old fence, painted with the black of age. The lines are beautiful, the color rich, the patina authentic. This is what I see. But I also see the mold and the brokenness. It doesn't really guard much anymore. The home inside is dilapidated and covered in flowers. One might think the beauty here is about the long lost luster of a hacienda once stately. But it isn't. Its about the present. Its about the semi-crazy pruned black man who walks out from the eves and explains that he asked if he could live in the house so thieves would stop stealing the windows and door handles. Its about his intensity, his spoken belief of the importance of preserving the place, and about my knowledge that he really doesn't have any other place to live. That and his fan. Its about his one fan and his one light plugged in with a long extension chord to the house next door, so he can be cool in the heat and eat his supper in the light.

Be a Voice, Not an Echo

You know, each of us has something wonderful inside. Something precious that the world will be without if we do not share it. The trouble is, we are so caught up in being "outside" ourselves, looking at what the trends are and what our friends are saying and what is happening in the news, that we very rarely listen to the small still voice inside. 

Or if we do listen, we push it back down because we are afraid it isn't right or it isnt good enough. So we try to do what we THINK the world wants us to do. We try to fit in. We try to go the "approved" way of going. And in our fear, we lose our authenticity and become a hollow echo.

Stop.

Listen.

Do it right now. 

What do you hear?

Please....be brave enough to be true to that still small voice that whispers inside.

The world needs to hear your VOICE. Not another echo.

Give the World What You Have

Pickled Parrots

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled parrots.

I wanted to pickle a few parrots this morning.

They woke me up, squawking in the trees overhead as I was trying to sleep to the sound of the rain. There must have been a million of them. OK, well, maybe 50. But trust me, 50 parrots is enough. Now understand, I am so thankful and amazed to live on an island filled with these majestic green birds. They fly by twos from the hills down to the beach and back every day. 

But I thought parrots were supposed to talk. You know, say something meaningful. And I guess, just because I don't understand their native language, doesn't mean they aren't saying something meaningful. Now that I think about it, I guess maybe I should take the time to learn their language instead of expecting them to know mine. Isn't that what you are supposed to do when you live in a foreign country?