Being Grateful

As 2009 comes to an end I reflect on the highs and lows of the year. It was one of great change, both personally and professionally. Personally, I learned to accept things much more for what they are while also accepting my strengths and limitations. Professionally, I learned that sometimes taking career detours do not always work out. In any case, I still hold on to my basic principle in life that everything happens for a reason. I may not know what the reason is at the time but I am certain that it will reveal itself eventually. Life is good, overall. As 2010 rolls in I am very fortunate to have a huge loving family, wonderful long-time friends, and membership in a very culturally diverse fraternity. I learned a great deal about myself this past year and will continue to grow, both personally and spiritually, in the coming year. Learning, about the world and yourself, is a life-long journey. Life in the end is really about the journey, so I intend to continue to live it to its fullest. I am truly grateful for everything I have and wish everyone a prosperous New Year. All the best.

Living Life

Don't hold grudges. Let people be. Don't make stories up in your head. Things are not always what they seem. Accept people for who they are. Don't try to change them. Treat people well. Be generous of your soul. Do what you love. Acknowledge beauty. Seek wisdom. Enjoy peace. Listen to the silence. Be in the moment. Hear your heart. Speak your voice. See.

Taking a Break

Sometimes you just need to take a break. Though I have had a lot of free time on my hands, I have tried to keep busy with various volunteer activities. I have stepped back my fraternity and political involvement recently. Politics is really tough work and I found myself doing things I really disliked, such as cold calling and knocking on strangers' doors. It is part of the political world but not really mine. I feel like I have lost myself in my various extra curricular activities and need to re-focus on what I want right now in life. I have felt like I was being pulled all over the place and concentrating on goals that were not my own. I have decided to take some time to myself to really look at what I need to do for me. I am always there for other people and not always there for myself. That has to change. The bigger and more complicated question is "What do I want?" The problem is that I want so much and for a lifetime have tried several things at a time and have not really focused on one particular objective. That, to be honest, has not worked out so well. So, time to get my personal act together and focus on what I want by looking at where I can be of most help. There is a great deal I can offer to a group or organization and I need to take the time to seriously finally figure it all out.

Ted Kennedy

It is an end of a era. Rest in peace, Ted Kennedy. This weekend he was memorialized all over the Sunday morning news shows. His life and character were grand. He made a difference. He was someone we should all aspire to emulate. We can't all be Ted Kennedy, but we can make the world a better place by embracing something greater than ourselves. Maria Shiver was on Meet the Press today and talked about her uncle. He had an incredible life.

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Summer

The summer is here and I have been keeping busy. I continue to work on my four blogs and am learning a great deal about social media. I am also volunteering time at a cultural arts non-profit organization and a political campaign. I'm also reflecting on what path I want to take in regards to my working career and am trying to find ways to incorporate this time off into my next full-time job. It's a tough time economically. New stats are out showing a 9.5 percent unemployment rate and the recession may last a few more months before there are signs of a solid recovery. I"ll continue to have faith that the right job will come along. For now, I'll continue creating my own brand online and using new media to express my creative side. I have been thinking about writing a memoir for several years now, and now may be an excellent time to seriously begin this personal endeavor.

Sonia Sotomayor

A young girl is raised in a Bronx housing project by poor dedicated parents who tell her she can be anything she wants when she grows up. It happens all over the United States. Parents of every background face challenges they must overcome and only hope the best for their bright-eyed, curious children. Some of us are raised with the idea that race is not an issue, but for sadly, sometimes it becomes one. The same young girl now a young woman goes off to Princeton and feels out of place in a world she knows little. She hangs in there, makes friends, finds out where she belongs, and thrives to complete her studies and than goes off to another elite school for her law degree. She continues on her fantastic journey, joining groups like the Puerto Rican Bar Association and claiming her cultural background as an asset along the way. Then, as life has it, the universal spotlight is on her great achievements and the future good she may do for a greater legal purpose. Now the hard working and brilliant woman is called a racist because she believes these particular struggles in life sometimes create a person able to see clearer then those who may not have had such obstacles. Is she racist? I think it is sad. I have known of Judge Sonia Sotomayor since 2005 when her name was floating out there as a possible Supreme Court Justice. Judge Samuel Alito was honored with the seat, but since then I have hoped for the time when the country would proudly honor Judge Sotomayor's journey. Her appointment and hopefully future confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court illustrates the American story that built this country. It's the right time and she's the right person. She has earned her place in history.

Cross Road

Life has its way of keeping it interesting. The only thing truly constant is change and right now I have an opportunity to create a new path. It's an exciting and anxious time. The energy is vibrant and keeps my mind engaged in deep thought. Many new directions are present and I look forward to the revealing journey. All in due time is my motto now. There is no rush. The clear way will present itself as I keep looking.

Natasha Richardson

Natasha Richardson’s sudden death last week reminds us all of life’s fragile and fleeting nature. A seemingly innocent fall ends a life and makes us think of our mortality. I have had my share of falls in my lifetime and thankfully I am still physically here. It makes me wonder I could have been gone long ago. There is no way to really explain fatal freak accidents. Richardson’s death echoes the theme of this blog: Life is short and uncertain. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Enjoy your life and do what makes you happy. Be grateful for every day. Find peace with where you are in your journey, and appreciate the special people in your life.

Drama

Recently I had a conversation with a friend about why certain people cause a great deal of drama in their lives. What I mean is that some people like to argue a great deal, make small issues major ones, and overall must have some type of crisis or problem they feel a need to focus upon. I have always been a pretty laid back kind of guy. Life is too short to get all charged-up about things we have little control over. Some people need this type of negative drama to feel alive or noticed by others. The key is to accept things as they are, especially things we have no control over. Getting upset about a large number of things is unhealthy, spiritually. Peace and serenity is good for our souls. Sometimes silence helps us go a long way.

Destiny?

Is our life drawn out for us ahead of time or do we have control over where we end up? If you let go of trying to control every thing in your life, do you end up where you were suppose to all along? Or does every decision you make put you in a different place? I wonder if my life is predestined no matter what I do or can I create the life I want and deserve? Or am I living the life I was brought here to live? I just had a birthday and have been thinking a great deal about where I am in my life. Sometimes I feel like life should be more than it is, and other times I know I am just where I need to be. Sometimes I stress myself out wondering too much about it all. I know I just have to have faith in a higher power and believe the universe has had and continues to have a plan for me. I may not know exactly what it is, but I have to believe I have had a purpose here and will continue to have one until my journey here on Earth is over.