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.

Cancer

It has been a tough 2008. The last six months have been quite challenging. In July my good friend Michael passed away from colorectal cancer. He was 32 years old. My cousin Alyssa continues to fight her battle with a form of brain cancer. An aunt was also diagnosed with breast cancer during this same time period. Cancer just seems to be everywhere and it's a shame. More effort and money has to be allocated toward cancer treatment, research, and an eventual cure. At the same time the health care system continues to fail millions and now we are in a recession where many of us are uncertain about what the future holds, economically. I am fortunate to have an apartment I like, a job that pays the bills, good health insurance, great family and friends. My health could be better but it is good considering my age, and I look pretty good as well, so I really can't complain. I hope 2009 brings more stability to every one's life and more change in their pockets. This is a tough time all around, but we need to hang in there together and not give up. As long as you have a friend to talk to, life will be O.K.

"A New Earth"

I finished reading “A New Earth” by Eckart Tolle earlier this summer. I have been on a spiritual path for most of my life, trying to make sense of it all. I have to say this book was very helpful. Like all spiritual self-help books, there is no real evidence that what the writer is saying is of absolute truth, however his points do make intellectual sense. Like millions of people, I was born a soul searching for meaning my entire life. I think I starting questioning things in my mid teens and continue to do so as I age. What I got out of this book is that some people, many actually, just don’t ask life questions. Many are stuck in their heads making up things that either don’t exist or are of little of not importance in the greater scheme of life. We all deal with some level of fear; the greatest of them all is the fear of death.

One of the major messages of Tolle’s book is that the true essence of life occurs in the present moment. Millions of people spend a lot of their mental energy on the past, stuck on resentments or past pain and trauma. Many also are so much invested in their future plans like what job they want, where they will live, how much money they will gain, who they will marry, how many kids will they have, that they do not appreciate the present time.

Back to death, something most human beings fear, Tolle says that if you believe you are life itself and your soul is eternal, then there really is no such thing as death, therefore there is nothing to fear. Now I am one who does not deal with death well and every encounter, whether personal or a death of a celebrity I connect with, makes me feel the coming of my own mortality. Though, as I get older the goal of my spiritual journey is to accept what my life has been to the present moment. I believe and accept that it has meant something in the greater scheme of things, if not to at least one individual, and that when it is my time to go I should not fear the transition.

In any event, no matter what one’s spiritual or religious path, I really do feel that we all go to the same place in the end and only chose our own path to that destination. Life is good and worth exploring to the fullest. I aim to learn as much as I can while I’m here and move on to the next place as connected to it from this end as is humanly possible.

Feeling Good

I am feeling good these days. I was in a rut for a while, but things are starting to look brighter. I am letting go of a lot of "should haves" and "could haves" and trying to just be. I am trying hard not to get all obsessed about the past or the future, and just be in the moment. It is tough, but worth the effort. I recently started listening to the audio iTune version of "A New Earth" the book Oprah is pushing, about finding a purposeful life. So far so good. I may even buy the book, but I'll let you know how that goes. Today, I am just enjoying the day and looking forward to the weekend, and spending some quality time with a good friend and some family near by. My place is a mess though. Since I have not been on point I have let my dishes and laundry pile up, and now it is time to do some spring cleaning. I feel like the spring will bring a new spring to my step this year and improve my overall view of life. Life... It is good. Enjoy the Now. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come. All we really have is Now.