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

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....

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...