A GUIDE TO BEING HUMAN

Watching the news, observing people on the street, hearing stories, interacting with loved ones...

Look around and you will see that people EVERYWHERE are really just living half awake. They are "living," but they are not fully AWAKE. Why is this? What can excuse such laziness for life? To me, it is like sleepwalking right through life. Why would you want to do that? Why would you want to hit the snooze button on the most precious gift we have? I personally want to breathe, and move, and FEEL!

The answer is that quite simply many people just forget how to live. They forget how to treat others, how to create relationships worth sharing and a life worth living. And sometimes I think there are those people that have never learned...hopefully some day they will learn how to be HUMAN. I might be only a half of a century in age, but I can at least offer up my knowledge of what makes me feel like the BEST human that I can be. A sort of...Guide book or users manual. Just one person's perspective of how to be a real human.

Be
patient and kind
make sure to think with an open mind.
Be
unique and true.
Remember your past
and never cease to be COMPLETELY you.

Have confidence,
walk tall, and be proud.
NEVER be afraid to speak up
and to stand out of the crowd.

Thirst
for more knowledge...
learn, think and read.
Your mind is a garden
that you must continually feed.

Always be
positive and take action.
Self-less acts give the most satisfaction.
Do
those things that others tell you cannot be done,
all the while smile
and have fun.

Be
thankful and appreciate.
Things could always be worse
so love your own fate.
Have compassion,
be peaceful and aware.
Take risks,
dream,
do,
DARE!

Remember
that all pain will eventually subside.
It's better to wear scars that prove you tried.
Life is too short,
so try to leave yours with a lasting impression.
NEVER use love with discretion.

Say
what you mean and mean what you say.
Understand
that everyone is entitled to follow their own way.
Expect less and give more.
Surround yourself
with those people who hold you and help you to soar.

Teach
others how to love, laugh and live.
It is a virtue to be able to forgive.
Have pure acceptance,
break through just being able to tolerate.
Never permit injustice or hate.

Loosen up,
Relax and enjoy each day.
Dance, sing, run, jump,
smile and play.
Love eagerly and with no reservation.
Be honest
and speak your heart without hesitation.

Stand up for your beliefs
and never waiver to do what you think is right.
Be the voice of those who cannot put up a fight.
Know yourself
and cultivate your soul.
You are the only factor in this crazy world that you can control.
Try, try, and then…try again.
It is okay to lose a couple of times before you win.

Listen.
And not just with your ears,
but with your heart.
If you don't make time to find pleasure,
then start.

Have faith
in yourself, believe, and trust.
Even when you have been burnt this is a must.
Each day is new.
So have good intentions and follow through.
Invest care and time
into each family member and friend.
Remember those who are there for you in the end.

Share your energy,
spirit and light.
Enter a dark room and make it bright.

Spain-->lessons learned

Prior to leaving Madrid a good friend of mine asked me what I had learned from my year in Spain. And I surprisingly had NO answer. I just blankly stared at him as a million and one thoughts ran through my head. At the moment I was caught off guard. But finally, here is the answer to your question.

After a year in Spain learning, growing, experiencing, and exploring there have been MANY lessons that I have learned. ... Some serious and others well, not so serious...some short and simple and some longer life lessons...all are part of the journey.

• The mullet is alive and well. One fashion disaster is another persons' idea of JET SETTIN!

• Opening yourself to other people can be dangerous, as you are allowing variables that you have absolutely NO control over to see the uncovered version of the ONLY variable you DO have control over.

• Even in light of the previous lesson...it is necessary to open yourself to others to share your soul, to learn more about yourself (often times you learn a great deal about yourself through other people), and also to give others a more likely opportunity to share their soul.

• Animals make different noises in different countries. Try to explain "Bark, bark" to a three year old who says, "Pero...el perro dice gau gau."

• Sometimes it is necessary to NOT THINK!!! This is especially true when you need to feel.

• No matter how healthy people say olive oil is...it can and WILL make you fat.

• Life is easier when you just smile, loosen up and dedicate your life to just living.
  

• "I'll meet you in an hour" actually translates VERY differently from English to Spanish. In Spanish it really means, "I am currently occupied with something else and have no intentions on making it on time, but I will just agree with you to make things easier at this moment, take my sweet ass time, and see you in 2.5 hours."

• Better alone than in bad company.

• You can survive on the Spanish diet of wine, cheese, and bread.

• Traveling gives words to the pictures that run in your head.
  

• Being humble is an important lesson, although it is sometimes hard to swallow...especially when taught by a nine year old.

• People love meat and potatoes EVERYWHERE and for ANY meal.

• A free drink is never free, it comes along with the price of awkward conversation, or costly regret for accepting.

• How appropriate is it that I try to fit into a place where many are trying to be like "me."

• There are ignorant and close minded people lurking in every corner of the world...BEWARE.

• People from other countries blow the U.S. out of the water when it comes to learning languages. For real!!! Three or four languages?? Really now?!!! I am trying to get ONE language mastered.

• A lesson on finding yourself--I left to Europe to "find myself." Ok, now we all try this. Try to discover who we are. Try to improve, to learn and to grow. But here's the catch...it's not like one day you are going to look and just suddenly find it all there! This is not a fucking easter egg hunt! You will not find yourself laying in the grass behind the tree or in a pastel basket. It's not that simple. You and I are deeper than that. It's more like trying to find the cure for cancer. There's daily work, evaluations, constant testing, and relapses. You need to work at it and take your time. It's a looong drawn out process that will take years and years...but it is all done for the hope of a cure...the hope of a better you.

• The Spanish have it down right! Siestas, long mid day breaks, maximum social interaction, and tapas. Where could you go wrong with that? Of all the customs that were transposed into the "The American way of life" why didn't the U.S. pick up on these traditions?
• Kindness is a magnet. It can be seen through your actions, your words, and even the way you smile. This is both a blessing and COULD be a curse. Sometimes magnets attract that which we do not intend to attract. Ultimately, if you are kind and aware of your magnetism you should have no problems.

• People can pick an American woman out of a crowd by her thighs...yes...they are different.

• No matter how pissed off you are while walking 2 miles to work IN THE POURING RAIN, you cannot help but laugh out loud when the song "Make it rain" comes on your shuffle list. I want to laugh like that more often!

• Talent aside, the performers on metros should be awarded money JUST for being able to play an instrument and maintain their balance on a moving metro. Now THAT'S talent!
  

• Madrid can party!!! A night out in Madrid can happen at any time, any day of the week and will with out fail last until 6:00am the following day.

• People come in and out of our lives like the sea comes into the shore. Some we wish would be swept out to sea just as quickly as they came in and others we wish to hold on to and stay awhile on our shore.